Vegetarian Lasagna – Packed With Veggies and Flavor!!!

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Lasagna, low-fat, marinara, mushrooms, pasta, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

Lasagna is one of my all-time favorite foods. After an in-depth discussion with my sister about our lasagna techniques, I had a full blown craving going! Lasagna is a great meal to feed a larger group, so I decided to make it when my older daughter and her husband came over for dinner. My daughter is eating a pescatarian diet (mostly vegetarian, with seafood), so I decided to make a vegetarian lasagna. I used the techniques in my normal lasagna, but I left out the meat and added in layers of various vegetables. This ended up being a delicious version of this meal!!! The flavors were bold and fresh and while it was very satisfying, it was a very low-fat, healthy meal. I’ll definitely be making this version again!!!

I kept this recipe as healthy as possible by making my own marinara. This way I can control exactly what goes into the sauce. Plus, I LOVE the flavor of my home made marinara! You could take this a step further and make a vegan version of this dish. There are tofu ricotta cheeses available and various non-dairy mozzarella cheeses, such as soy, that are also available.

I rounded out this delicious dinner with some fresh baked dill bread. You can get this going in your bread maker 3-4 hours before dinner time. I also made a Garden Salad with Herbed Ranch Dressing. The salad and dressing can also be made up to a day ahead and tossed just prior to serving. Overall, this was a great tasting dinner and is definitely company worthy!

Vegetable Lasagna

1 batch of my marinara recipe or 2 jars of pre-made (If making your own, you can start this well in advance as it is great when slow cooked)

2 Bell peppers, very thinly sliced (I used red and yellow, as I’m not a fan of green)

2 Medium zucchini, very thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer for this)

8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, very finely chopped

1 Medium red onion, diced

4 oz of baby spinach leaves

16 oz Box of whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked

24 oz Fat Free Mozzarella cheese, shredded

16 oz container of fat free ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tip: You can boil your lasagna noodles, if you wish. Personally, I never boil my noodles and I don’t buy special no-boil noodles. If find boiled lasagna noodles to be a huge hassle. I just use the regular whole wheat lasagna noodles and I find that if you use plenty of the moist ingredients around the noodles, they cook just fine in the baking process.

Start with getting your marinara made and simmering. If using jarred sauce, you don’t need to simmer it. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and lay out your zucchini and bell pepper slices. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need two. Then lightly spray your veggies with olive oil spray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium high heat sauté onions until beginning to soften, then add mushrooms and continue to cook unto all are soft. Add spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes until cooked.

After zucchini and peppers are done cooking, lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Mix ricotta, eggs and parsley in a small bowl.

Lightly spray your lasagna pan with olive oil spray. Add a thin layer of sauce to bottom of pan, enough to coat it well, then put down a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, spread 1/3 of your ricotta mixture, spread all of mushroom/onion mixture, spread 1/3 of mozzarella, layer 1/3 of sauce, more noodles, another 1/3 of your ricotta, spread layer of zucchini, 1/3 of mozzarella, 1/3 of sauce, pasta, last 1/3 of ricotta, layer bell pepper slices, last 1/3 of sauce, last 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese.

Cover lasagna pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Tip: Leftover lasagna freezes great! So save leftovers for a quick lunch or dinner in the future!

Enjoy!

 

Fresh Oregano – What Should I Do With All This Stuff?!?

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dried, drying, Fresh oregano, Gardening, herb, Herbs, Lasagna, marinara, vegan, vegetarian

A few weeks ago I posted about planting my garden, so I could have some fresh veggies and herbs to cook with. One of the things I planted was oregano. If I had know how well this stuff grows, I would have planted it years ago!!! This one plant in a pot has taken off like gang busters! At first I was hesitant to use any, because my plant seemed so small. I blinked and now I’m wondering what the heck I’m going to do with all of it! I did some research and thought I would share my findings with my foodie friends.

As you can see by my first picture, I decided to dry some. I had read that when the plant starts to flower it is at it’s most flavorful, so this is a good time to snip some branches for drying. I simply cut several branches off, tied them together at the cut ends with string and hung them up on my pot rack to dry. It looks pretty up there and makes my kitchen smell nice!  Once dried it can be crumbed and stored in a spice jar for later use or to give as a gift. I’m going to take some over to my sister tomorrow!

Another tip I found, is to cut up the leaves and freeze it in some water in ice cube trays. Supposedly when you thaw it, it still has the fresh flavor. Makes sense to me!

I love to use fresh basil and oregano in my marinara sauce! So delicious! Once my tomato plants start producing watch out!!! My marinara is being taken to a whole other level!!! I think I might make a batch of sauce on Monday and make some vegetarian lasagna for my oldest daughter and her husband when they come over for dinner!

Really the uses for oregano are abundant! Here is just a sampling of the possibilities: egg/cheese combinations, breads, vegetables (especially squash, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, capsicum), meats, fish, chicken, pizza, pastas, Greek salads and sauces. Soups, stews, stuffings, sausage and pork.

Like I always say, go play with your food! Find creative ways to use those ingredients, try new things and you might just find your new favorite dish!

So what are some of your favorite ways to use oregano? I’m very open to additional ideas as I have a bunch of the stuff!!!

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives – A Quick Dinner For One!

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basil, Chicken, gnocchi, kalamata olives, marinara, parmesan, pasta, pesto

 On nights when my husband and daughter go to our church’s youth group, we usually just grab leftovers to eat for dinner. The other night, I was in the mood for something other than the leftover risotto we had, so I decided to get a little creative! How about gnocchi with chicken, Kalamata olives, tomato pesto and fresh basil? Worked for me! It was delicious!
I had some dried gnocchi in the pantry, leftover marinara and pesto sauces and some pre-grilled Foster Farm chicken in the fridge. I almost always have fresh basil and a jar of Kalamata olives hanging around the house, so a tasty dish was coming together! Kalamata olives aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved the additional acid that they added to the dish.

This dish could easily be adapted to be vegetarian or even vegan by eliminating the chicken and/or cheese. It was super quick to make (about 10 minutes) and was enough for me with 1 or 2 servings leftover.

So here’s what I did….

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives

16 oz. package of Gnocchi

1 cup marinara

¼ cup pesto (I used jarred sundried tomato pesto)

¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced

5 oz. grilled chicken strips

5 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips

Parmesan cheese

Cook gnocchi according to package, usually boiling it 3-5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm marinara, pesto, olives, and chicken. When gnocchi is cooked, drain and toss with sauce and chicken. Serve topped with fresh basil and grated parmesan.

Stuffed Shells and Italian Turkey Sausage – Offerings for the Vegetarians and the Carnivores in Your Life!

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Cooking, Food, marinara, pasta, recipe, ricotta, Stuffed Shells, turkey sausage, vegetarian

 
I recently discovered the joys of manicotti, so the other night I thought I would roll that new found joy over to stuffed shells, similar concept with a different shaped pasta. I wanted to jazz up the ricotta filling, so I added some sundried tomato pesto to the filling and BAM! Now we’ve got something! This is actually a pretty easy dish, but it’s very impressive!
This was a great vegetarian dish and could be served alone with bread and salad. I had my kids coming over for dinner and needed to stretch the food out a bit, so I also decided to serve Italian sausages on the side. This worked out great and would be a great way to serve a meal if you had both carnivores and vegetarians in your midst.

I made a slow cooked batch of my marinara sauce. I used most of the sauce with my stuffed shells, but I left about a cup or so in the pan and added my cooked, sliced Italian sausage and tossed this in the sauce. So as folks moved through the dinner buffet, they had a pan of spicy Italian turkey sausages, a pan of stuffed shells, salad and fresh baked bread to choose from. It was a nice hearty dinner, but gave people choices and options to make healthy ones.

Stuffed Shells

1 batch of homemade marinara or 1-2 jars of readymade marinara

1 box of large pasta shells

1 – 16 oz container of low-fat ricotta

½ cup parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg

4 large fresh basil leaves, diced

2-3 tablespoons pesto sauce (I used jarred sundried tomato pesto)

1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water and then add shells. Boil for 9 minutes, drain and then set on sheet pan to dry further and cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cheese, egg, basil, pesto, ¼ cup parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Use a spoon to add stuffing into shells. Spread enough marinara to cover the bottom of a baking pan. Place stuffed shells in baking pay and spoon marinara sauce over shells. You want them fairly covered. Sprinkle mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese over shells. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is well melted.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan – A Low-fat Version of a Delicious Classic

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basil, Chicken Parmesan, Cooking, Food, healthy, low-fat, marinara, recipe

  
I love Chicken Parmesan, but let’s face it, fried chicken covered in cheese is not kind to our waistline! This recipe significantly lightens up this dish, but it still packs a lot of flavor. The panko gives the oven-fried chicken a nice crunch and the topping of fresh basil, marinara and motzarella add the perfect blend of fresh Italian flavors to this dish.

I chose to make a batch of my home made marinara and serve the chicken with a side of whole wheat spaghetti. You can find the recipe to my marinara on my blog. It is easy to make, low-fat and tastes fantastic! I love making it myself, so I know exactly what is in my sauce. I control the amount of sodium and the spice level.

In the mood for a light, fresh Italian meal? Give this one a try! It will not disappoint!

Chicken Parmesan

1 large egg white

2/3 cup fat-free buttermilk

1 cup whole wheat panko

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Salt and pepper

1 cup marinara sauce (I like to make my fresh marinara or you can use jarred.)

8 basil leaves

4 slices of reduced fat motzarella

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 4o0 degrees. Whisk together egg whites and buttermilk in a shallow bowl. Put panko in a separate shallow bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in wet mixture and then place in panko, pressing down to coat.

Place chicken on a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Lightly spray the chicken with non-stick spray. Bake chicken for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove chicken from oven and top each piece with 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, 2 (or 1 large) basil leaves and 1 slice of motzarella cheese. Pour remaining marinara around the chicken. Bake until cheese is melted and chicken registers an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees, about 5-10 minutes longer. Prior to serving sprinkle chopped fresh basil and Parmesan cheese over chicken.

Mangia bene!

Meatball and Spinach Baked Ziti

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Cooking, Food, marinara, meatball, pasta, recipes, spinach, ziti

 This was originally shared by another blogger, but it looks delicious! Instead of the jarred marinara, I would use homemade. I posted an easy, low-fat marinara recipe back on 8/11/15.

Ingredients: Cooking spray, for baking dish 2 c. ziti Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 lb. ground round 1/2 small onion, chopped 1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 large egg 1 tbsp. canola oil 1/4 c. dry red wine 1 (24 oz.) jar marinara 2 bunches flat-leaf spinach, stems discarded and […]

http://sporkchop.com/2016/02/05/meatball-and-spinach-baked-ziti/

Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti – Ahhhh! Cheesy Pasta Goodness!!!

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#insidekelskitchen, Cooking, Food, manicotti, marinara, mushroom, pasta, recipe, ricotta, spinach, stuffed, Stuffing, vegetarian

  
Why on earth have I never eaten or made manicotti before??? Somehow I made it through 49 years without encountering this delicious food! I was thinking about what to make for dinner the other night. I try and think of what I’ve made the few previous days and make something different. I run through the various meats in my head (Chicken? Beef? Pork?) and I run through flavor profiles (Mexican? Italian? Spicy? Creamy?). So the other day I was stumbling on the meat. Nothing sounded good, so I decided it was time to make a vegetarian entrée. My friend Michael had mentioned manicotti in a Facebook post and I had my inspiration! Manicotti it is!!!

Even though I’d never eaten it before, I had a vision in my mind of what it would be; a nice big pasta tube stuffed with cheesy goodness! I picked up some ready-made Barilla pasta at the store and the recipe on the back of the package actually looked pretty good, so I decided to go with it. It did not disappoint! The ricotta, spinach and mushroom stuffing was creamy and wonderful. OK, I’ll admit it! I did lick the bowl that I mixed the filling in.

I topped my stuffed manicotti with my homemade marinara sauce (See August 11, 2015 blog post for recipe). I don’t mean to brag, but I LOVE my sauce! It’s so delicious!

Since I decided to leave any meat out of this recipe and chose low-fat ricotta, this was a pretty low-fat meal. But don’t let this fool you! This was still a very hearty and satisfying meal and it was easier to make that I expected. I will definitely be making this again in the future!

  
Stuffed Manicotti with Spinach and Mushrooms

1 box manicotti (14 pasta tubes)

1 batch homemade marinara or 1 jar ready-made

1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed

12 oz Ricotta cheese

12 oz mushrooms, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

12 oz fresh spinach

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook manicotti in salted boiling water for 7 minutes, drain and set aside to cool. Spray sauté pan with non-stick spray. Over medium heat sauté garlic until tender, add mushrooms, add salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Steam the spinach and chop well. Mix ricotta, egg, mushrooms, spinach and half the parmesan. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling into the manicotti tubes. In a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish, place ½ the marinara sauce, arrange the manicotti on top and cover with remaining marinara and parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Marinara Sauce – Make it Fast or Slow for a Delicious, Low-fat Sauce

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Cooking, Food, healthy, low-fat, marinara, pasta, recipe, sauce, tomato sauce

  
Who doesn’t love a good pasta sauce?!? Sure you can buy the jarred type, but if you’re trying to be health conscious, it’s hard to gauge exactly what goes in that stuff. When you make your own, you know exactly what is in it and you can control the fat and salt content. Not to mention, homemade sauce tastes SOOOOO much better and it’s really not that hard to make! Totally worth the time investment! This recipe can be made, heated through and served for a quick sauce or for some really great flavor you can cook it low and slow for a few hours or most of the day.

This sauce can be made vegetarian or you can make meat sauce and you can use the sauce in a variety of ways; spaghetti, lasagna, rigatoni, chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, etc. Another thing I love about homemade sauce is it freezes really well, so you can make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for a future meal.

The Sauce

Optional: Sweet or Hot Italian Turkey Sausage

½ Red Onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

28 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes in Puree (I highly recommend using San Marzano tomatoes!!! They cost more, but the flavor is AMAZING!!!)

8 oz Can Tomato Sauce

6 oz Can of Tomato Paste

6 Roma Tomatoes, diced

2 packets of Stevia or other artificial sweetener

3 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

1 tsp Dried Oregano

¾ tsp Cumin

½ tsp Crushed Red Peppers

Optional: ½-3/4 cup Red Wine

Optional: 1 cup Mushrooms (I like baby bellas)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

 

I usually cook this sauce in my Dutch oven on the stove, but you could also use a non-stick sauce pot or even cook it in your slow cooker. The first thing you want to do is spray your pan with some olive oil. If you’re adding meat, brown your meat over medium-high heat. When almost cooked, add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent. Don’t burn your garlic! Now here comes the easy part! Pour everything else in the pot! Now you can just heat it through and serve for a quick meal or you can really make this something special and cook this sauce low and slow. My personal preference is to bring it just to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for several hours. You can really let it simmer as long as you like; all day to 1 hour. Like any dish you make, you should taste periodically and adjust, adding a little more of this or a little more of that. It’s better to do it slowly. You can always add more of something, but once you overdo it on any particular ingredient it’s done!

Tip: Don’t have Italian sausage, but want that flavor in your dish? Use plain ground turkey or ground beef and add dried fennel seeds. That one little ingredient will give you that Italian sausage taste!

Another tip: Trying to sneak some veggies to your kids or picky eaters? Use a vegetable peeler to peel some carrots. Throw away the outer skin peelings, but take some fresh carrot peelings, dice them up a little more and add them to your sauce. Also, if you want to add mushrooms, I’ve found that if I dice them up smaller my kids don’t seem to notice them. And mushrooms are so great for you!!!

Mangia bene!