Here is our contributing chef’s vegetarian version of her chicken lasagna, which appeared in the April 2012 issue of Runner’s World. The spinach and mushrooms provide a good dose of potassium, fibre and antioxidants.
Ingredients
15 oven-ready, rippled style lasagna noodles
Salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
450g sliced mushrooms
2x 285-gram packages frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
340g cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3 cups marinara sauce (no sugar added or low-sugar)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 200°C. In a 30cm x 20cm baking dish, soak noodles in very hot tap water until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sauté until tender and well browned, about 7 minutes. Add spinach, sauté until heated through. Combine spinach-mushroom mixture with the basil, 225g of cream cheese, and 1/4 cup broth. Mix remaining 115g cream cheese with 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl; set aside.
To assemble, spread 1/3 cup marinara on the bottom of baking dish, then assemble 4 layers in the following order: 3 lasagna noodles, 2/3 cup marinara, 1 cup spinach-mushroom filling, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with remaining 3 noodles, the cream cheese-broth mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Cover with cooking spray-coated foil and bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Leaving lasagna on same rack, turn oven to broil. Remove foil and broil until lasagna is golden brown, 5 minutes. Remove from oven; let sit for 10 minutes.
Serves 12.
KILOJOULES PER SERVING: 1724
CARBS: 30g
FIBRE: 3g
PROTEIN: 21g
FAT: 24g
