By Victoria Hart Glavin of Tiny New York Kitchen
I like to use lowfat ricotta, lean ground beef, and spinach to make this lasagna healthy and lower in fat. My Tuscan Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food for these bleak winter days.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Pound Ground Sirloin
- 1 Cup Sliced Cremini Mushrooms
- 1 Minced Small White Onion
- 3 Crushed Garlic Cloves
- 5 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Basil
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
- 1 Cup Lowfat Ricotta Cheese
- 1 (8 Ounce) Package Whole-Grain Lasagna Noodles
- Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray
- 16 Ounces Marinara Sauce (Divided)
- 1/2 Cup Part-Skim Fresh Mozzarella (Divided)
- 2 Cups Frozen Spinach (Thawed)
- 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large-size sauté pan cook ground sirloin, mushrooms, onions, garlic, parsley, kosher salt, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer to a large-size bowl. Stir in ricotta. Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package. Drain noodles. In an 8×11 inch-baking dish coated with cooking spray, place a layer of noodles. Top with 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the marinara sauce, and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat to create two more layers with remaining noodles, meat, marinara, and mozzarella. Before the last layer, scatter spinach. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm. Serves 6
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Victoria Hart Glavin has been cooking and writing recipes since she was a teenager. Originally from Nebraska, her appreciation for culinary technique took off when she moved to Lyon, France.
While living in France, Victoria studied French cooking from an expert Lyonnais chef. Victoria learned to love the local culture of preparing and enjoying fresh, seasonal foods. While in France, Victoria experienced the joys of shopping for local produce at the market and preparing fresh foods simply and beautifully in order to enhance the experience of the table. During her time in France, she says she “learned how to squeeze tomatoes at the local market” and “took everything in by osmosis.”
Currently, Victoria creates tasty treats in her tiny kitchen, in New York City, for all to enjoy and on weekends she explores Fairfield County where has a second home. Victoria has shared her recipes with others and now you can enjoy the Tiny New York Kitchen recipe collection, too! Victoria is a member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society.