Noodle Free Lasagna

This lasagna is so good! It is hearty and the meat sauce and cheese topping are delicious.  I thought it was easier to assemble than regular lasagna because you do not have to deal with hot lasagna noodles which can be hard to deal with.  The noodle part is actually thinly sliced vegetables.  I used zucchini and eggplant.  You will see the recipe actually calls for mushrooms.  We don't like mushrooms so I changed it up.  Next time I will use all zucchini for the noodle layer.  Sliced thinly they almost disappear.  Almost. 

The first step is thinly slicing the vegetables, sprinkling them with salt and broiling them.  Set broil on high and let them roast.  The salt is to draw out any water in them.

4 zucchini, sliced (I only used 2)
2 portabella mushrooms, sliced in strips (I did not use)
8 oz. lean beef (94% lean)
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
28 oz. can diced tomato
5 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz. fat-free ricotta
1/4 c. egg beaters (I used liquid egg whites)
1/2 c. reduced fat Parmesan
2 T. chopped fresh basil (I used dried)
1 t. tried oregano
1 c. part skim mozzarella (do not use fat free on this part!)

-Sprinkle veggies with salt and broil.

- Preheat oven to 350.  Spray skillet with Pam.  Saute' onion and 3 of the minced garlic cloves, 3-5 minutes.  Add in ground beef and brown.  Add in diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.  Stir well and cook until thick.  (Check on your veggies, are they looking good?  I like mine a little brown on top.)

-Mix ricotta, Parmesan, remaining two minced garlic cloves, egg, salt and pepper.

-Pam a 9x13 pan.  Spoon meat sauce in dish.  Layer veggies, ricotta, sauce, veggie, ricotta, sauce.  Top with mozzarella (my favorite part!).  Cover with foil.  Poke 3 holes in foil (to allow steam to escape).

-Bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. (I usually go a little longer because I want my cheese browned)

-Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  This step really does make a difference.  It allows the lasagna to set up properly.  Cut into 6 portions.

6 servings-6 points each

One of the trickiest parts of lasagna is figuring out when to start it to have it ready in time.  The easiest thing I do is work backwards.  If we want to eat at 5pm, this is how I figure it.

4:50 lasagna out of oven to rest
4:30 foil off top of lasagna (bake another 20 min. to brown cheese)
3:45 lasagna in oven to cook for 45 minutes covered with foil
3:15 start dinner prep