Healthier Meat Lasagna
Martha Stewart
Prep: 40 minutes Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Transform lasagna with meat sauce from a guilty pleasure into a wholesome meal. Small swap-ins can make a mighty difference: Whole-wheat noodles, low-fat cottage cheese, and lean ground sirloin create a light and delicious baked pasta. A topping of melted mozzarella and Parmesan keeps this dish feeling indulgent.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
* 6 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 ounces total), broken in half
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 small eggplant (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1/2 pound ground sirloin
* 1 can (10.75 ounces) tomato puree
* 1 pint (1 percent) cottage cheese (2 cups)
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)
* 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (2 ounces)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place noodles in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, and cover with hot tap water; set aside to soften.
2. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, eggplant, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sirloin, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato puree, and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season meat sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Remove noodles from baking dish, discarding water.
4. Spread about 1/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of dish, and top with 4 noodle halves. Layer with 1/3 cheese mixture, then 1/3 sauce. Repeat twice with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until lasagna is bubbling and cheese topping is golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.