Special Diets

Lasagna Light Style

Ingredients

• 4 cups marinara sauce, homemade or commercial

• 2 cups tomato sauce, canned

• 1 cup water

• 1 medium eggplant

• 1/2 lb chicken Italian sausage, removed from casings

• 4 cups non-fat ricotta cheese

• 2 egg whites

• 2 Tbs parsley, chopped

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 lb lasagna noodles, uncooked

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

A little bit of chicken Italian sausage and roasted eggplant slices goes a long way in this lighter version of a classic.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
• Prepare sauce: combine prepared marinara sauce, tomato sauce and water and mix well.
• Prepare fillings: Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch (2cm) thick rounds. Spray vegetable oil spray on a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Place eggplant slices on pan and bake in oven for 10 minutes.urn each piece over and bake for another 5 minutes. They should be brown in color, and soft to the touch. Allow to cool to room temperture.
• Brown chicken sausage in a non-stick skillet, stirring to loosen from pan. Turn off heat and reserve.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine nonfat ricotta, egg white, parsley, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
• Decrease oven heat to 350°F (175°C).
• Assemble lasagna: Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) pan. Place 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan, covering the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Follow this with a layer of eggplant slices, and 1/3 of the chicken sausage. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce over all.
• Sprinkle about 2 tablespons (15g) of the grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
• Repeat layers, using all the filling ingredients, and ending with sauce. Pour 1 cup (240mL) of water around the edges of the assembled dish.
• Cover with foil and bake for one hour.
• Carefully remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.