One thing I have always struggled with cooking is a good lasagna. I am not sure why, but something always messes up. The flavor is wrong, the noodles are either to mushy or to hard… not enough cheese, something..
Tonight I decided to try a new lasagna recipe I found online… and I was surprised to finally get it right :)
What is even more surprising is that I tweaked the recipe MYSELF… leaving out ingredients and adding some of my own… and it still came out! :) MIRACLE really. HAHA…
The best thing about it besides it being cooked well, is that it contained a lot of great veggies.
So here goes:
1/2 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
(cooked al dente – Al Dente means slightly cooked, still some what firm :) so for like 5 minutes.)
1 lb organic ground beef
(We used organic beef, but you could use turkey or even shredded chicken)
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
oregano and basil, to taste
(I had no basil so I just did oregano and it was fine)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 zucchini shredded
1.5-2 cups pasta sauce
1-2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
(Sorry im honestly not sure how much I used, was less than a half a bar)
1/2 cup sharp cheddar shredded
1/4 cup shredded or grated romano (or Parmesan) cheese
sea salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and brown beef. While beef is browning add in the onions and cook until meat is fully cooked and onions are almost translucent. Stir in zucchini, garlic, oregano, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and stir into meat mixture until wilted. Put the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly.
Spray a baking dish with some cooking oil and then pour 1/2 cup of pasta sauce over the bottom. Layer the noddles over the sauce (My pan fit 3 across), and then pour half the meat mixture over the noodles. Then add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering (sauce, noodles, cheese, meat). Add a final layer of noodles, followed by the last bit of sauce. Top with the shredded mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.
Serve with a salad or garlic bread :)
Yum yum!
We enjoyed it and my kids, all 3 ate every bit, spinach and all.
Recipe adapted from Elly Says Opa!
(Sorry I had no photo of mine to show with the recipe. I totally forgot until after we devoured it before I thought to take a picture.)
Sounds very delicious! I definitely will try it out as I love lasagna, too! We usually made our with beef, peas and mushrooms and a tomatoe sauce. Mum has got also a recipe for one with spinach but different than yours.
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You’ve come a long way in the last few years, lol! Eating beef, huh :) It sounds delicious, and I plan on trying this recipe soon!
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Drea Reply:
October 26th, 2011 at 9:07 am
@Stacey, I only did beef for Travis. Trust me, I would of preferred Turkey :) – and I ate more of the noodles than the beef ;-)
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