NO Pasta Lasagna

I haven't always loved pasta the way I tend to like it now, I have decided the older we get the more of a desire we have for comfort foods.  Since this does not go well with the fact that the older we get the slower our metabolism is I am always looking for ways to cut carbs.  This is especially hard for me as I tend to love anything bread related.  When I saw a recipe for a no pasta lasagna I decided I had to try.  It turned out great! It is a great thing to make Sunday and freeze and/or have for dinner and then lunch throughout the week.  We made this on Sunday night for dinner and then brought it for lunches.  It makes a very good size so if you are not wanting a lot of leftovers I suggest cutting in half and cooking in a smaller dish.  I used a 9 x11 glass baking dish.  Hope you enjoy!

per calorie counter if you do this as a 8 serving size dish

you will be eating about 240 calories per square, if you do 6 large squares you will be eating about 320 calories per square. 

What you need:

- 1 red or white onion, diced

- 1 lb of ground turkey (you can use beef but that will change the calorie count)

- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

- 2 crushed garlic cloves

- 1 lb of zucchini cut into medallions 

- 1 green pepper, sliced thin

- 1 red pepper, sliced thin

- 1/4 cup of goat cheese, softened

- 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

- 1 cup Ricotta cheese

- 1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped

- About 1/2 cup of mozzarella, optional*

- 1 egg 

- Blend of Italian spices, I have a basil, oregano and parsley plant so i chopped up a decent amount of the 3 and then used salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1) Spray olive oil into a large skilled and add diced onions.  Saute on med heat until they begin to soften.  Add ground meat to the skillet, let it start to brown slightly, and then add tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and garlic.  Continue to cook on medium heat until meat is done. 

2) In a medium bowl, beat egg in bottom, then combine:  Egg, Greek Yogurt, Ricotta Cheese.  Once well mixed, stir in chopped broccoli.  

3) Preheat over to 375 and lightly spray baking dish with non-stick spray.  Layer in bottom a heavy layer of Zucchini medallions.  Add a layer of green and red pepper spaced out.  On top of that ladle some of the tomato and meat sauce.  On top of the meat sauce spoon layers on the broccoli mixture evenly spaced but coating the dish well. Continue to layer until you have used all ingredients.  At this point I put a thin layer of mozzarella on top, but if you are watching diary it can easily do without this layer.  **If you plan to freeze your dish then stop here, let it cool and place in freezer.  When you are ready to eat, let it thaw completely and then move on to the next step.**

-Place in over and cook for about 45 -60 min.  Remove and allow to sit for 10 min before serving.  Enjoy!! 

** This dish freezes well

** My dish had a decent amount of water in the bottom when done, I was able to simply tilt it slightly to get rid of some of that water and then it kind of soaked up by the next day. If that bothers you then I would suggest to drain the tomatoes before you use them.