Inside Out Lasagna

I made this recipe for Inside Out Lasagna last week.  It turned out delicious.  I did make one mistake, though, and when I copied down the recipe I didn’t write down what to do with the ricotta cheese!  So I ended up stirring it in with the pasta/veggie mixture which melted it and it turned out quite well – just not as pretty as the one in the picture.  Though it wasn’t like any lasagna I’ve ever eaten, Elvis loved it and it’s definitely on my to make again list.  I served it with some chicken breasts, but it’s hearty enough to serve without meat.  Serving it with the meat meant there were probably closer to 6 servings of the pasta dish.

From EatingWell

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat rotini or fusilli
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, spinach and crushed red pepper (if using). Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.
4. Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 bowls. Dollop each serving with 3 tablespoons of ricotta.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 364 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 14 mg cholesterol; 0 g added sugars; 16 g protein; 7 g fiber; 588 mg sodium; 786 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (90% daily value), Vitamin C (50% dv), Folate (25% dv), Potassium (22% dv), Calcium (21% dv), Iron (20% dv).

3 Carbohydrate Serving