This Weight Watchers Lasagna is stuffed with selfmade goodness and is plated up with solely 7 WW factors per serving. This veggie-loaded tackle the basic Italian favourite isn’t solely scrumptious however nutritious and filling as properly. From the good ingredient swaps to the additional veggies, and from-scratch tomato sauce, you may really feel nice about serving this recipe to your loved ones, or having fun with it in your personal meal prep.
I like making selfmade lasagna as a result of it”s a labor of affection with extremely satisfying outcomes. Whereas it may be time-consuming to make meals from scratch, I’ve included a number of ideas and methods on how one can make this mouthwatering recipe really feel like one thing that is straightforward sufficient to whip up every time the temper strikes. Be happy to double the batch and freeze particular person parts for a fast, handy, and hearty meal to warmth up for later.
Why You Ought to Attempt This Recipe
- Crowd pleaser: This dish is crammed with savory meat and gooey cheese in each chew. Simply served up with recent bread and salad, this particular occasion-worthy meal is all the time a win. Even choosy eaters can recognize this dish as a result of the added greens aren’t center-stage.
- Nutritious: Lasagna is a real consolation meal. The normal recipe calls for many heavy substances, which do not all the time match into your plan for the day. Fortuitously, it may be made in many alternative methods. For this lightened-up lasagna recipe, I’ve stored the basic style on the core. Spinach and zucchini are added for his or her dietary worth however in a method that will not overpower the basic flavors you already know and love.
- Do-it-yourself taste: This dish makes use of a selfmade marinara sauce. Not solely does this lower the quantity of salt and sugar within the recipe, but it surely offers the lasagna a shiny, recent taste that store-bought sauce cannot replicate. Making selfmade sauce isn’t tough or time-consuming and one of the best half is which you can all the time add herbs and alter the seasoning to suit your style preferences precisely.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Dimension: 169g
- Variety of Servings: 12
- Time to Prepare dinner: 40 minutes
- WW Factors Per Recipe: 7 per serving, 84 per whole batch
Substances in Weight Watchers Lasagna
- 1 pound 93% lean floor turkey: Utilizing turkey as a substitute of the normal beef retains this recipe lighter and comprises much less fats.
- ½ medium yellow onion: Yellow onion supplies a delicate candy and savory depth to the selfmade sauce.
- 3 cloves garlic: Contemporary garlic supplies a punch of taste. Remember to mince the garlic finely to keep away from massive chunks in your sauce. Alternatively, you may add the entire cloves into the sauce after which take away them after the sauce is completed cooking.
- 1 (28-ounce) cans of complete tomatoes: Entire canned tomatoes are the bottom of the selfmade sauce. Entire tomatoes are much less acidic than pre-crushed or diced tomatoes so you will not really feel the necessity to add sugar.
- 12 complete lasagna noodles: When creating this recipe, I wished to maintain common lasagna noodles for his or her style. Be happy to make use of various noodles similar to chickpea noodles or whole-wheat noodles. Simply remember that they’re extra agency and will change the general texture.
- 1 ½ cups low-fat cottage cheese: Full of protein, blended cottage cheese is a superb swap for ricotta.
- 1 massive egg: Egg binds the cottage cheese combination.
- ¼ cup grated parmesan: Parmesan provides an umami punch and thickens the blended cottage cheese.
- 3 teaspoons dried Italian mix seasoning: This herb seasoning provides taste all through the lasagna.
- 2 teaspoons sea salt: Salt is split and used to provide a taste increase to the sauce, the noodles, and the cottage cheese.
- 2 medium carrots: Slightly than add white sugar to the tomato sauce, complete carrots are added into the pot whereas cooking after which eliminated. Their pure sugars are launched into the sauce to stability any bitterness from the canned tomatoes.
- 2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella: Utilizing part-skim mozzarella retains this dish gentle however nonetheless supplies the basic melted tacky style.
- 1 medium zucchini: Zucchini provides taste to the meat sauce and a wholesome dose of vitamins.
- ¼ cup drained frozen spinach: Spinach boosts the vitamin and in addition provides some fiber to this tacky dish.
- ½ teaspoon olive oil: A contact of olive oil provides a delicate, savory taste to the tomato sauce.
Directions for Making Weight Watchers Lasagna
1. Crush the tomatoes: First, preheat the oven to 375°F and put together a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, pour the cans of tomatoes into a big bowl. Use a potato masher or your arms to crush the tomatoes till principally damaged down. It ought to resemble crushed tomatoes from a can. Put aside.
2. Make the cottage cheese combination: In a medium bowl, combine the blended cottage cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, the egg, parmesan, and drained spinach till properly mixed. Cowl and place into the fridge till you’re prepared to make use of.
3. Brown the meat: In a pot over medium warmth, brown the turkey, for about 7-10 minutes. Break the turkey into crumbles with the spatula. As soon as no pink items are remaining, add the onion, zucchini, and garlic. Prepare dinner for 3-4 minutes till the onion is softened and aromatic.
4. Construct the sauce: Pour the hand-crushed tomatoes into the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and the olive oil till properly mixed. Place the entire carrots into the pot. These are used for his or her pure sugar and will probably be eliminated later. For those who want to maintain them, shred or finely cube the carrots and saute them earlier than including them to the pot.
5. Prepare dinner the sauce: Deliver the pot to a boil then cut back to a simmer for 20 minutes when you put together the remaining substances. Stir sometimes.
6. Boil the noodles: Fill a separate massive pot with water and convey to a rolling boil. Add ½ teaspoon salt and the lasagna noodles. Boil till al dente, for 10-Quarter-hour. If utilizing a unique kind of noodles, observe the bundle directions. As soon as finished, drain the noodles and rinse them beneath cool water. Place on a baking sheet or slicing board till prepared to make use of.
7. Assemble the lasagna: Start layering the lasagna by putting spoonfuls of the meat sauce into the underside of the pan and spreading it into an excellent layer about ¼” thick.
8. Construct the layers: Place a layer of noodles on high of the sauce then add spoonfuls of the cottage cheese combination. Unfold into an excellent layer.
9. Add the meat sauce: Add spoonfuls of the meat sauce on high of the cottage cheese then high with a layer of mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining substances to make three layers of lasagna, with three noodle sheets per layer.
10. Bake: Bake the lasagna for 35-40 minutes till the perimeters are effervescent and the highest is browned. For a browner high: Broil for 3-4 minutes. For a much less brown high: Cowl the lasagna with foil for the primary 25 minutes of baking. Let cool for at the least Quarter-hour to permit the lasagna to set. Serve heat.
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the meat: This recipe makes use of floor turkey however be happy to make use of beef or Italian sausage. A mix of meat additionally works nice within the selfmade sauce. Utilizing floor turkey and a few hyperlinks of candy Italian turkey sausage with the casing eliminated can even impart a number of taste.
- Add extra veggies: Be happy so as to add much more greens to this nutritious ww pleasant lasagna. Sliced mushrooms, eggplant, and bell peppers are tasty additions.
- Use pre-made sauce: Whereas this recipe makes use of a easy selfmade sauce, be happy to make use of any sauce you have got available. Merely add it to the recipe rather than the hand-crushed tomatoes. In case your sauce may be very thick, chances are you’ll want so as to add an additional ¼-⅓ cup of water. It will assist the sauce preserve the precise consistency whereas it warms.
- Go for ricotta: Cottage cheese is a great and attractive swap for ricotta. For those who love ricotta and have further ww factors, be happy to make use of it on this recipe. It’s going to make your lasagna style richer and extra creamy.
Suggestions and Tips for Making Weight Watchers Lasagna
- Plan forward: For those who’re involved in making this recipe however really feel brief on time, you may simply make the sauce and cheese combination forward of time. Tomato sauce will get higher over time so making the meat sauce 1-2 days earlier than will solely lead to an much more savory style. You possibly can even make the whole lasagna forward of time. Merely cowl it and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours. Take away it from the fridge half-hour earlier than baking to permit the substances to return to room temperature.
- Wring out properly: Remember to wring out as a lot extra moisture from the spinach and zucchini as doable. In any other case, the moisture will come out whereas baking and make for a soupy lasagna. A clear kitchen towel or cheesecloth is good for this.
- Make it a skillet meal: To make this tasty dish even faster, you may skip the layering to make it a skillet Weight Watchers lasagna. To cook dinner the lasagna proper into a big skillet, make the sauce per the directions, then break the lasagna noodles into bite-sized items earlier than boiling. You may also use penne or bow-tie pasta. Drain the pasta and blend it proper into the sauce. High with small spoonfuls of the cottage cheese combination throughout and a beneficiant sprinkle of mozzarella to cowl the highest. Maintain the warmth on low and canopy the skillet till the cheese melts. You possibly can then serve it in bowls for a quicker weeknight various.
Associated Recipes
Weight Watchers Lasagna
Floor turkey and blended cottage cheese make this veggie-filled lasagna a lightened up model of the basic dish.
Substances
- 1 28-ounce can complete peeled tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups low fats cottage cheese
- 2 teaspoons sea salt divided
- 3 teaspoons Italian mix seasoning divided
- 1 massive egg
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup frozen spinach drained
- 1 pound 93% floor turkey
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded extra moisture drained
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium complete carrots
- ¼ teaspoon olive oil
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
Directions
-
Crush the tomatoes: First, preheat the oven to 375°F and put together a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, pour the cans of tomatoes into a big bowl. Use a potato masher or your arms to crush the tomatoes till principally damaged down. It ought to resemble crushed tomatoes from a can. Put aside.
-
Make the cottage cheese combination: In a medium bowl, combine the blended cottage cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, the egg, parmesan, and drained spinach till properly mixed. Cowl and place into the fridge till you’re prepared to make use of.
-
Brown the meat: In a pot over medium warmth, brown the turkey, for about 7-10 minutes. Break the turkey into crumbles with the spatula. As soon as no pink items are remaining, add the onion, zucchini, and garlic. Prepare dinner for 3-4 minutes till the onion is softened and aromatic.
-
Construct the sauce: Pour the hand-crushed tomatoes into the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and the olive oil till properly mixed. Place the entire carrots into the pot. These are used for his or her pure sugar and will probably be eliminated later. For those who want to maintain them, shred or finely cube the carrots and saute them earlier than including them to the pot.
-
Prepare dinner the sauce: Deliver the pot to a boil then cut back to a simmer for 20 minutes when you put together the remaining substances. Stir sometimes.
-
Boil the noodles: Fill a separate massive pot with water and convey to a rolling boil. Add ½ teaspoon salt and the lasagna noodles. Boil till al dente, for 10-Quarter-hour. If utilizing a unique kind of noodles, observe the bundle directions. As soon as finished, drain the noodles and rinse them beneath cool water. Place on a baking sheet or slicing board till prepared to make use of.
-
Assemble the lasagna: Start layering the lasagna by putting spoonfuls of the meat sauce into the underside of the pan and spreading it into an excellent layer about ¼” thick.
-
Construct the layers: Place a layer of noodles on high of the sauce then add spoonfuls of the cottage cheese combination. Unfold into an excellent layer.
-
Add the meat sauce: Add spoonfuls of the meat sauce on high of the cottage cheese then high with a layer of mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining substances to make three layers of lasagna, with three noodle sheets per layer.
-
Bake: Bake the lasagna for 35-40 minutes till the perimeters are effervescent and the highest is browned. For a browner high: Broil for 3-4 minutes. For a much less brown high: Cowl the lasagna with foil for the primary 25 minutes of baking. Let cool for at the least Quarter-hour to permit the lasagna to set. Serve heat.
Notes
WW Factors Per Recipe: 7 per serving, 84 per whole batch (12 servings whole)
Vitamin
Serving: 165gEnergy: 224kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 14gFats: 6.3gLdl cholesterol: 52mgSodium: 698mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 3.9gSugar: 4.2gCalcium: 175mgIron: 1.4mg