By: EatingWell

Photographer: Burris, Ken

Publish Date: 2008-10-01

Servings: 10

Yield: 10 servings

Total Time: 2 hours

Prep Time: 30 minutes

To Make Ahead: Prepare through Step 5 up to 1 day ahead.

Recipe Description:

An Italian classic made healthier.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 8 ounces lasagna noodles, preferably whole-wheat (see Ingredient note)
2. 1 pound lean spicy Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (see Variation)
3. 4 cups sliced mushrooms, (10 ounces)
4. 1/4 cup water
5. 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed
6. 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably chunky
7. 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
8. Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
9. 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese, (2 cups)
10. 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Cook noodles in the boiling water until not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water and set aside.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and water; cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage more, until the sausage is cooked through, the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water, then stir into the pan; remove from heat.
4. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
5. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles. Top with half the sausage mixture, one-third of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, the remaining sausage, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles and the remaining tomatoes.
6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on the lasagna. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat lasagna noodles are higher in fiber than white noodles. They can be found in health-food stores and some large supermarkets.
2. Variation: For vegetarians, use a sausage-style soy product, such as Gimme Lean, or simply omit the sausage altogether.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 316 calories; 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat, 2g mono unsaturated fat); 59 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 6 g fiber; 681 mg sodium; 580 mg potassium

Nutrtion Bonus: Vitamin A (90% daily value), Calcium (35% dv), Folate (15% dv).

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 2 medium-fat meat

Carbohydrate Servings: 1 1/2

Recipe Categories:

Course(s)

Dinner

Cuisine(s)

Italian

Mediterranean

Special Health Consideration(s)

Low Calorie

High Fiber

High Potassium

High Calcium

Diabetes Appropriate

Healthy Weight

Seasons & Occassions

Fall

Winter

Entertainment

Housewarming

Birthday

Super Bowl

Main Ingredient(s)

Poultry

Turkey

Pasta

Poultry

Dairy & Soy

Cheese

Technique(s)

Bake

Saute

Dish Type(s)

Main Dish

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Eating Well cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.