Thursday, February 3, 2011

EASY Protein Noodle Lasagna

Thursday, February 3, 2011
Yum! Comfort food without the guilt. I made this dish ahead of time, froze it and the day I wanted to serve it, I placed it in my oven before I left for work on a "delay timer." It was a nice way to end the day.

I served this with my homemade GARLIC BREAD.

For more yummy and easy ideas, check out my cookbook The Art of Healthy Eating Savory.

Charts like this can be found in all of my cookbook. Charts include substitutions for: pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, baking flours, fruits, milk, and others!
Pasta Substitutions (Per Cup)
FOOD
Rate
Carbs
Sugars
Fiber
Calories
White Pasta
Bad
43
0
5
246
Spaghetti Squash
OK
10
4
2
42
Bean Sprouts
Best
6
4
2
31
Artichoke Heart "ziti"
Best
6
0
4
40
Protein "noodles"
Best
5
3
2
22
Cabbage "noodles"
Best
5
2
3
20
Zucchini "noodles"
Best
4
2
1
20
Miracle Noodles
Best
3
0
2
20
Kelp Noodles
Best
0
0
0
6


















1 pound Italian sausage
¾ pound grass fed ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar no sugar marinara sauce
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
¾ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ Cup Parmesan cheese
Thinly sliced nitrate free deli Chicken Breast (protein noodles)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in marinara sauce.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, and 1/2 tsp salt. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange chicken breast slices over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.  Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup):
Traditional Noodles = 246 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein, 43g carbs, 5g fiber (38g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Noodles = 84 calories, 1g fat, 20g protein, 2g carb, 0g fiber (2g effective carbs)


NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Lasagna = 574 calories, 26g fat, 35.7g protein, 49.7g carbs, 3.4g fiber (46.3g effective carbs)
"Healthified" Lasagna= 259 calories, 26.6g fat, 40.5g protein, 7.7g carb, 1.4g fiber (6.3g effective carbs)

22 comments:

  1. When I make this, I layer noodles/ricotta/mozzarella/noodles, etc., then
    I top it with the sauce and meat. I like the way the cheese keeps the noodles together..My friend from Italy always makes her lasagne that way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maria...I just bought your book on Amazon for my Kindle...I can't believe how many recipes there are and I decided to try everyone of them. I'll let you know how they come out but thanks so much for doing this. It has so much variety and we never will have to feel deprived...Best Regards...Betty Henderson( I am coach for the 800 calorie protocol)....I bought the one Nutricious and Delicious:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks SOOOO much Betty! I really appreciate your kind words!

    I also appreciate your support and purchasing my cookbook:)

    Keep up the word of health!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Made this for my family and they loved it!! Super easy to make also

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks so good, ever try making a Mexican Lasagna version? :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Connie! Here you go!: http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2012/01/enchilada-casserole.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Made this for dinner tonight and forewarned my husband before we ate that he may not like his meal but just to remember it is good for him. His comment after his second helping was,"it is sure better than the normal lasagna, it must have health noodles in it cause it doesn't have those big hunks of those other noodles in it." I couldn't agree more and can't believe how filling it is. A keeper!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marilyn! That makes me sooooo happy!!!!

      Delete
  8. Oh my goodness, the lasagna is a amazing!!! I will have to admit, that I was apprehensive about the "noodles", but like Marilyn mentioned this recipe is a "keeper".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Penne! I'm REALLY happy you liked it:))))

      Delete
  9. Hi Maria, I used this recipe this weekend. I must say that it was really good. I used turkey meat instead of chicken, it's Medford.... I tried to hide what I was doing from my husband as he would NOT approve, but he came home while I was putting it together. We ate it with reservation and I must say both LOVED it. I don't see the need to ever, and I really mean this, ever put the noodle in again. I made a few changes, had some fresh basil and parsley that I put into he sauce....Thank you.....Tammy,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I love when the whole family likes a recipe. :)

      Delete
  10. Maria- I am getting around 620 calories and 14 c per serving on this. I made 8 servings from my pan. Is that correct?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I only listed the difference in noodles. I updated it above to have nutritional comparison for the whole recipe. I get about 12 servings out of this. :)

      Delete
  11. At what point would you freeze this meal, if you were making it ahead? Sorry, I'm just starting to try this, and I thought this would be the perfect meal to start with! Thanks!

    Crystal O.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How far ahead of time? I make this on Sunday and freeze it right away for the week. :)

      Delete
  12. I am very new to this "healthy lifestyle" and am very excited for my families "healthy" future. Where does one find nitrate free deli chicken? My family would love this recipe and I am anxious to make it. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I use Applegate lunch meats. I get mine at Trader Joe's but you can check at your grocery store. :)
      http://www.applegate.com/

      Delete
  13. About how much chicken do you buy for this recipe & how thick are the slices sliced? Then do you layer just one slice thickness at a time in the pan or a multiple slice thickness? Can't wait to try this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I get as thinly sliced as the deli will do. :)

      Delete
  14. Where do you buy protein noodles?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is just thinly shaved chicken breast. :)

      Delete