Easy Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes, but since it is usually carb laden, I have shied away from it. That is until now. This recipe uses only 6 lasagna noodles and keeps the carb count low.

makes 6 servings

olive oil cooking spray
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, 4 ounces chopped
1 28-ounce crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon fennel, crushed
1 teaspoon dried orange rind*
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce container low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 pound zucchini grated and squeezed of excess liquid
2 small carrots, 4 ounces grated
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 cup shredded skim milk mozzarella cheese, plus 1/4 cup for garnish (optional)
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish (optional)
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles

Preheat the oven to 350°F .

Spray a non-stick covered pot with cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, fennel, orange rind, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a slow simmer, cover and cook while you ready the rest of the ingredients.

Place the ricotta in a large bowl. Fold in the grated zucchini and carrots. Stir in the egg substitute, grated mozzarella and finally the Romano cheese. Set aside.

Prepare an 8-inch oven-proof square pan by spreading 3 to 4 tablespoons of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Place 2 lasagna noodles on the bottom. Spread with 1/3 of the cheese and vegetable mixture and top with 1/3 of tomato sauce. Repeat making 3 layers, ending with tomato sauce. Top with reserved mozzarella and Romano.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil which you tent a bit to make sure it does not touch the cheese on top. Make sure to crimp around the edges of the pan. Bake for 1 hour, uncovering the last 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes before cutting.

Per serving:

260 calories (26% calories from fat)
19 g protein
7 g total fat (4.2 g saturated fat)
29 g carbohydrate
4 g dietary fiber
30 mg cholesterol
426 mg sodium