Healthy recipe: Quinoa lasagna

Yield: 8 servings

Servings: 8

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Recipe Description:

This healthy quinoa lasagna recipe has a layer of quinoa (rather than noodles) along with vegetables, cheese and herbs. Though it tastes like comfort food, don’t worry, this quinoa lasagna recipe is not too heavy—you’ll still have room for dessert. To save time, use your favorite jarred tomato sauce in this vegetarian lasagna. (Adapted from “Quinoa Revolution” by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming; Pintail Books, 2012.)

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 2 cups water

2. 1 cup quinoa

3. 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

4. 1 cup chopped onion

5. 1 cup sliced mushrooms

6. 2 cloves garlic, minced

7. 2 cups tomato sauce or prepared pasta sauce

8. 2 cups no-salt-added low-fat cottage cheese

9. 1 large egg, beaten

10. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

11. 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried

12. 1 tablespoon dried oregano

13. 2 cups sliced zucchini

14. 2 cups packed fresh spinach, tough stems removed

15. 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Recipe Steps:

1. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Evenly spread the quinoa in the prepared dish.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. Wipe out the saucepan, then add oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until transparent and starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are softened and very little moisture is left in the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauce. Stir until hot. Remove from heat.

4. Combine cottage cheese and egg in a medium bowl; mix well. Stir in Parmesan, basil and oregano.

5. Spread one-third of the sauce over the quinoa. Make a layer of all the zucchini, then all the cottage cheese mixture, then half the remaining sauce, then all the spinach. Finish with the remaining sauce and spread mozzarella on top.

6. Bake the lasagna until it is hot and the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 267 calories; 11 g fat (4 g sat, 4 g mono); 39 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 19 g protein; 3 g fiber; 524 mg sodium; 578 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (27% daily value), Vitamin A (24% dv), Vitamin C (21% dv), Folate (20% dv), Magnesium (19% dv), Potassium (17% dv)

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat