Ingredients :
- 9 dried lasagna noodles
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef or ground pork
- 1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage or bulk pork sausage
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (1 medium)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
- 1 28 – ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
- 1/2 6 – ounce can tomato paste (1/3 cup)
- 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup light ricotta cheese
- 1 cup 2% or 4% cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 10 – ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
- 2 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (11 ounces)
Directions :
- Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, except omit any oil or salt; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Place noodles in a single layer on a sheet of foil; set aside. Lightly coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- For meat sauce: In a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven, cook and stir beef, sausage, onion, carrot and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is browned. Drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes in puree, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in fresh basil. Remove bay leaf; discard. Set sauce aside.
- For filling: In a medium bowl, combine egg, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Stir in spinach.
- To assemble, spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly in the bottom of prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles in the dish. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with half of the remaining sauce, spreading to evenly cover cheese. Top with 3 more noodles, remaining filling, and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles and sauce.
- Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition facts :
Servings Per Recipe 9, Monosaturated fat (g) 9, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0, Niacin (mg) 4, sodium (mg) 974, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 2, Potassium (mg) 376, fiber (g) 4, Folate (µg) 77, sugar (g) 9, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 2, vit. A (IU) 2770, vit. C (mg) 14, sat. fat (g) 11, calcium (mg) 384, chol. (mg) 102, Thiamin (mg) 0, iron (mg) 3, Fat, total (g) 24, Riboflavin (mg) 0, carb. (g) 32, pro. (g) 30, cal. (kcal) 472
