Lasagna, Lightened Up
With meat, cheese and oodles of pasta, it’s no wonder this bad boy carries a hefty total of 1,000-plus calories per serving. But you can create a lasagna masterpiece that is leaner — and here’s how.
The Noodles
Lasagna is usually a big meal that works well for a crowd or leaves lots of leftovers. If you’re worried you’re going to overdo your portions, a good idea for cutting calories is using half the noodles in the box and creating a smaller lasagna plate.
Switching to whole-wheat noodles won’t cut calories but will add fiber. Most people don’t get the recommended 28 to 40 grams of fiber per day, and I’m always working with my clients to figure out ways to get more.
If you want to cut out pasta altogether, use portobello mushrooms, zucchini or yellow squash or thinly sliced eggplant instead. Layer them as you do the lasagna noodles and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The Meat
Ground chuck is the fattiest choice for your ground beef. Look for 90 to 95% lean ground beef. Use half to a third of the amount your recipe calls for. You can also mix various lean meats with the beef such as ground bison, veal or turkey.
Another idea is combining half the ground beef with beans or chopped mushrooms, which adds tons of fiber and easily cuts out fat. You can also make seafood lasagna — seafood is very low in calories and high in the antioxidant selenium.
Want to get adventurous? Try combining texturized vegetable protein (a.k.a. “TVP”) with half the ground beef. TVP is made from soy, which has no cholesterol and is high in protein. Better still, it picks up the flavor of whatever you combine it with.
The Cheese
Choose part-skim ricotta and mozzarella. You might think adding grated Parmesan is harmless, but half a cup adds 200 calories and 14 grams of fat alone. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two for added flavor or forgo if you can.
The Sauce
Create a tomato sauce with crushed and diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and lots of low-calorie fresh herbs such as parsley and basil. Add as little oil as possible (if any) — it’s 120 calories per tablespoon. If using prepared sauces, avoid those made with highly processed ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup.
A Winning Combination
When it comes to the final filling mix, more isn’t always better. Aim for less meat and cheese and more veggies. You can also forgo the meat and just use cheese and veggies — that’s what I do!
- Healthy recipes to try
- Seafood Lasagna
- Lasagna Rolls (pictured above)
- Mushroom, Sausage and Spinach Lasagna
- Shellfish Lasagna
- READ MORE:
- Hearty Chili
- Macaroni & Cheese
- Meatloaf
- Shepherd’s Pie
Check out our tips for lightening up these other comforting classics:
TELL US: Do you have a secret lasagna ingredient?
Great ideas! i use whole wheat lasagna, make my own sauce, skim cheeses and turkey sausage which gives a great flavor!! Just made it Sunday and the family goes nuts! They don’t even realize the substitutions!
Why doesn’t anyone ever mention ground chicken instead of beef? I have a recipe for asian chicken burgers that is to die for. I always substitute chicken for beef – haven’t had ground beef in years. I have found that fat-free ricotta works as well as part-skim and always use low-fat mozzarella and whole wheat pasta.
I am super thrilled to recieve these low calorie substitutions. I also use low fat or fat free cheese in my lasagna and ground turkey or turkey italian sausage. it’s awesome my family goes crazy. They are so used to my lasagna they think everyone else’s is too rich. Isn’t getting the family healthy great!?
Janet… I would love your asian chicken burgers recipe .Can you send it or post it? Thanks.
I substituted fat free ricotta and mozzarella two weeks ago and my family didn’t notice the difference. I also didn’t put the Parmesan on the table and nobody asked for it… out of sight out of mind. I always make my sauce from homegrown tomatoes, which cuts out all the extra sugar in the bottled sauces. I have also been making ‘eggplant lasagna’ for a few years as an alternative and I love it…. in both I load in the mushrooms Thanks for all the great suggestions!
I love making lasagna roll-ups. I’ll measure out all my ingredients, and place a toothpick in mine and make the other ones for my family and it turns out great, I never go overboard!
I would love the asian chicken burger info! I’m loving all of these wonderful ways to make meals healther and better!
Tried whole wheat pasta a couple of years ago. The texture and taste was not unlike I would imagine a soggy, grainy cardboard tablet back. AWFUL!
Has it gotten any better lately? Or are some brands better than others?
Thanks
Dan L.
Eggplant rollups, Anyone every tried this?
Treat eggplant as if you were making eggplant parmigana, cut in long strips. Stuff with your favorite stuffing for lasagna, roll up and put in a baking dish cover with your favorite sauce and a parmigiana cheese or bread crumbs and bake.
Instead of pasta layers, I use thinly sliced (length wise) zucchini and yellow squash. You will be amazed how well and tasty these veggies take the place of the pasta.
How about a reciepe for your eggplant roll-ups. Pleeese! Ha.Ha. jJ
Thanks for the great ideas about the lasagna! Also, we use cooked barley cut in with our ground beef, in a one to one ratio…it’s texture mimics ground beef, and it absorbs the flavors of the sauce. It gives the recipe fiber, but also helps stretch the budget. It does take getting use to, but we started out by only adding a bit, then increased it to the 1:1. We use in tacos, lasagna, meatloaf, etc.
For lasagne filling, I use fat free ricotta, which I think is just as good as regular, and mix in frozen chopped spinach, after squeezing out the excess water.
I also tried the whole wheat lasagna noodles and they were awful. Nothing would “bind” … My family would not eat it and I had to order pizza…Is there any brand of whole wheat noodles that is better than others? Lasagna is a very expensive dish to make, and would hate to throw another one away. I have also tried the whole wheat macroni…same thing happened…nothing would “bind” to the pasta. Any suggestions would be great!!
I use no fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I also add chopped spinach to my cheese layer. It is great that way! I have used 50/50 ground turkey and extra lean ground beef for years in anything calling for ground beef.
Nice try, but please do not call your concoctions lasagne. Let me get this straight – you want to minimize the noodles, minimize the meat, AND minimize the cheese and still call it lasagne? Come up with a new name – maybe Vegan slop, but PLEASE don’t call it lasagne. Stick to modifications that leave the basics intact or that make the dish taste the same or at least very similar.
Next thing you know, you’ll be making a sandwich with sliced tomatoes, onions, pickles and eggplant, and call it a hamburger!!! Get real!
Hi cc,
I hear your pain with the whole wheat noodles. I have found whole wheat pastas in my local market to be much tastier over the past few years. If you can’t find a brand of lasagna noodles you like, then increase the fiber by adding more veggies like spinach (yum!) or broccoli into your layers. Beans also add tons of fiber and taste great mixed with the ground meat. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!!
Pleas email me at Jtorres_ssr@yahoo.com for the recipe its rather long to post here.
Aunti Mary used to make lasagna, like they did in the old days. They had to make food stretch and let nothing go to waste. If they had chicken they would use it! Glen is right though, please keep it lasagna!!!
I use spaghetti squash instead of pasta – works great!
I brown ground turkey, and add FENNEL SEEDS and SWEET ONION to the drained, browned turkey. I layer that mixture into a lasagna, and use 2/3 the amount required of part skim ricotta & cheese. NO ONE CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE!
Wow, interesting comments. The ground chicken/turkey idea is fine but can have more fat in it than beef if you don’t grind your own. Most ready ground has light/dark/skin ground with it. Love Cindy’s idea of adding cooked barley, so healthy too! And Glen, well, he probably isn’t very health consious and doesn’t try variations on recipes.
i've used Ronzoni Heart Healthy multi-grain, with good results, and my family didn't even notice the swap.
also, you don't need to cook the lasagna noodles first, just use them right out of the box and they cook in the sauce when in the oven!
would you send me your recipe please it sounds interesting
My mom-in-law told me how to makes a traditional lasagna with 2%cottage cheese, marinara, 1 cup lowfat motz, 95-97% lean ground beef. You can also use several cans of Del Monte Tomato, garlic & Oregano. I like to add this with a meat layer.
The trick with using the cottage cheese…you need to beat in an egg…otherwise the lasagna will be soupy. For small container 1 Egg, I always buy the larger 24 oz & use 2eggs.
I use whole wheat lasagna noodles, and no one can tell the difference. My son asked me one day if I thought whole wheat noodles would be just as good in the lasagna, and I told him that was what he was eating. I use Skinners. I don't like the other whole wheat noodle products, but I can't tell the difference in the lasagna ones. I also use the 2% cottage chesse as I really dislike ricotta cheese. I use the recipe on the lasagna package that does not require cooking the noodles first; I think this may be why the whole wheat are good. They cook for over an hour in this recipe…so easy to make.