Almost Lasagna
This deconstructed lasagna uses cottage cheese for some of the meat in traditional recipes.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 16 ounces long fusilli pasta, linguine or other pasta Or any type of pasta you have, including whole wheat.
- 8 ounces 95% lean ground beef or 100% ground turkey breast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth or stock
- 1 28-ounce can crushed no salt-added tomatoes, not drained Diced tomatoes work well, too.
- 3 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup plain lowfat cottage cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, breaking it into large pieces and continuing to break into small bits. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer meat to a medium bowl, and set aside.
- Return the skillet to the burner, add the olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Season with fresh ground black pepper.
- Add the meat back to the pan. Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes and their juices, and basil, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the cottage cheese and parsley.
- Toss the pasta with the butter, transfer to the skillet and combine with the meat sauce. To serve, place equal amounts of the cottage cheese/parsley mixture in shallow soup bowls, and top with the pasta mixture. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Per serving (with ground beef): 504 calories; 67 grams carbohydrate; 4 grams fiber; 13 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 27 grams protein; 239 milligrams sodium; 41 milligrams cholesterol; 97 milligrams calcium.