Ricotta – Fervent Foodie

January 4, 2012 8 Comments

The thought of lasagna makes my lips quiver. I often fantasize of snuggling up in a six-foot long tray of it. I’d lay my head down on a piece of sausage and pull the noodle layer up around my face like a soft blanket. Sure the tomato sauce might make me look like I have a case of full-body rosacea, but I bet the ricotta would do wonders for my complexion. I’m fairly certain the only one who loves lasagna more than me is my fat pants. You know, if it weren’t for all that pasta and all that cheese, lasagna wouldn’t be half bad for you. Ergo my self-proclaimed weekend mission: to create a lightened up lasagna that could satiate my taste buds, no fat pants required.

For the love of lasagna, I wholeheartedly committed to this mission. My healthified version is an adaptation of The World’s Best Lasagna recipe on Allrecipes.com, which I made a year or so ago and LOVED. I made a few swaps here, a few karate chops there, and came up with a lasagna that tastes absolutely delicious and that comes in at under 350 calories a pop.

Now tell me you aren’t thinking about sliding in between those layers and swaddling yourself in a noodle blanket. Don’t worry. I completely understand.

Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake

October 28, 2011 3 Comments

This is one of my favorite weekend treats to throw together. Pasta, sausage, cheese, cheese, and mo’ cheese. It ain’t much of a recipe, but sometimes the simplest of concoctions put the biggest smile on my face. You know what I mean?

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients List for Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake (serves 5)

8 ounces pasta of choice, cooked al dente
3 cups pasta sauce of choice (such as Prego Heart Smart)
4 links cooked chicken or turkey sausage (such as Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage)
4 slices mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Italian herbs of choice

I like to start off with some sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Prego is (and always has been) my go-to standard store pasta sauce. It tastes delicious, it’s super cheap, and you can buy it in a ginormous jar. What more could you want?

1/3 of the sauce goes into the casserole:

Then I toss on half of my pasta:

Plus two tablespoons of shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta:

Then I add the sliced sausages and sprinkle with my favorite Italian herb combo: oregano, basil, S&P, and a touch of red pepper flakes.

Add another cup of sauce, followed by the remaining pasta, then the last cup of sauce, 1/4 cup of ricotta, 2 tbsp parmesan, and 4 slices of mozzarella:

Cover with foil (careful that it doesn’t touch the cheese!!!). Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes.

Dinner is served!

Stats on 1 serving: 422 calories, 52g carbs, 11g fat, 30g protein, 5g fiber

Lightened-Up Sausage Lasagna

Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake