"Healthified" Lasagna

A few days ago, we had Jayla over for dinner and it was my chance to make a meal with more than two servings.  Usually when its just Jeremy and me, I only make enough food for two people, plus one left over.  I love having people over because then I can either make the whole dish or at least not have to divide it up. 

Anyway, I get emails of recipes from the Betty Crocker and this was in one of them.  It's a very easy and delicious lasagna...plus, it's on the "lighter" side.  When I made this I couldn't find Muir Glen pasta sauce, so I used Paul Newman's Tomato Basil sauce.  Also, I was out of dried basil, so I substituted oregano.  My only recommendation (per Jeremy) for this recipe was to add a bit more sauce, as we like our sauce and it dried out just a bit, when we had leftovers.

Enjoy!

Ingredients.

Pre-baked.

Post-baked and eaten. :)

Healthified Lasagna, by Betty Crocker

Makes 12 servings

• 9 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic Italian herb pasta sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 egg
• 1 container (15 oz) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese  8 oz)
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. Place in cold water.
2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook beef and garlic over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pasta sauce, ground red pepper and 1 teaspoon of the basil. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon basil until blended. Drain noodles. Spread about 1/2 cup sauce mixture over bottom of baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture, half of the ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spray 15-inch piece of foil with cooking spray. Cover lasagna with foil.
4. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 4, uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Nutrition Information:  1 Serving: Calories 240 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 400mg; Total Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 5g); Protein 20g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 15%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 25%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.