“Better for You” Lasagna

It’s so easy to make better choices when it comes to food. When you cook at home you can easily make modifications to recipes to meet you and your family’s needs. I’m always looking for ways to take classic meals and make them better. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.

This “Better for You” Lasagna recipe takes a classic recipe that we all love, makes a few substitutions that will leave you feeling guilt-free. It features Mazola® Corn Oil (instead of extra virgin olive oil), ground turkey (swapped for ground beef), and whole wheat lasagna noodles (swapped for regular lasagna noodles). A clinical study showed Mazola® Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil.  To learn more about this claim see Mazola.com. What a great thing knowing I’m making good choices for my family! Mazola® Corn Oil is also made of 100% pure oil with no additives, so the great flavor of my lasagna can shine through. The truth is – it’s simple to eat better. You just have to plan for it.

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Whole wheat lasagna noodles or regular lasagna noodles? Why hadn’t I thought of this swap before? We love whole wheat products and I always feel better about making food choices that may seem mundane to some but are so important to my family. Making better food choices is not difficult. It just takes some planning and thought. Also, how will my substitutions affect the taste of the lasagna recipe? This is always of concern when you’re modifying a recipe that already works. Could I really pull this off?

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In this recipe, I also swapped out extra virgin olive oil for corn oil. Many home cooks may not realize that all cooking oils have a smoke point that, once exceeded, not only negatively affect the food’s flavor and nutritional value. Mazola Corn Oil has a neutral taste that won’t negatively impact the taste of ingredients either, so it lets the natural flavor of your food stand out.  Perfect for this “Better for You” lasagna! Mazola Corn Oil is available nationwide too so you can purchase the product at your favorite grocery store. In addition, I went ahead and got all the fresh ingredients for my recipe, including ground turkey. It took me a few stores to hunt down wheat lasagna noodles but I finally found them. Yeah…now let’s get in the kitchen!

lasagna, lasagna recipe, healthy recipe, recipe

lasagna, lasagna recipe, healthy recipe, recipe

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“Better for You” Lasagna

Lasagna is a classic food – perfect for feeding the family or a crowd the most perfect dinner. It’s filling, it’s great with garlic bread, and it’s “better for you” with a few modifications to the normal recipe. 

  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 tbsp Mazola® Cooking Oil 40 oz
  • 1 pound Ground Turkey
  • 9 Whole Wheat Noodles
  • 8 ounces Italian Cheese Blend (Mozzarella, romano, asiago, parmesean)
  • 1 cup Three Cheese Parmesan Cheese (Parmesean, romano, asiago)
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 14.5 ounce cans Diced Tomatoes with Garlic
  • 8 ounce Tomato Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1.2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 2 tbsp Chopped Parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
  2. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until brown and cooked through. Drain excess juices off. 
  3. Return pot to stove. Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning to meat mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes or less. Adjust seasonings to your preferred tasting. 
  4. While mixture is simmering, make your cheese mixture. Combine ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, 4 ounces of Italian shredded cheese blend, and egg. Blend cheese mixture until smooth. 
  5. Spread 1 cup of meat mixture onto bottom of baking dish – preferably 9×13. Top with 3 wheat lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture on top of noodles along with 1/3 of meat mixture. Repeat layers above 2 more times. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese mix on top of sauce. Top with 4 ounces of Italian cheese blend mix. Garnish with chopped parsley. 
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 more additional minutes. 
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lasagna, lasagna recipe, healthy recipe, recipe

“Better for You” Lasagna has a few “swaps” that give it a lighter component and leave you feeling guilt free. Is that even possible since we’re talking about lasagna? Yes – it is. There is no mistaking that this lighter version of lasagna is a great contender. Everyone will enjoy it! You have my word!

lasagna, lasagna recipe, healthy recipe, recipe

lasagna, lasagna recipe, healthy recipe, recipe

 

lasagna, lasagna recipe, healthy recipe, recipe

Will you give this “Better for You” Lasagna recipe a try? Let me know in the comments below. 

-Crystal  

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