Lazy Day Lasagna

Lazy Day Lasagne

Hey now . . . this is more like it! Please excuse the picture, it looks a little sloppy, but it was yummy!

I bought this cookbook, Eat More of What You Love by Marlene Koch way before I joined Weight Watchers, and also own two of her other books, this one and this one. Suddenly today, I realized she lists Weight Watcher Plus Points*! I was watching a presentation of the cookbook on QVC, and drooling over the dishes displayed. This lasagna looked especially good because, as usual, I was drawn to the large portion size. So, I dug out my book, entered what I needed into ZipList and off to Ralph's I went. I did add the ground beef, as suggested in the Notes section.

 

Lazy Day Lasagne

from "Eat More of What You Love" by Marlene Koch

Servings: 6

Weight Watchers Poins Plus: 8

 

Ingredients:

 

15 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
One 24-28 ounce jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
7 or 8 traditional lasagna noodles, uncooked
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 lb lean ground beef (optional)

 

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons water, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Mix thoroughly.
2. Place the marinara sauce in a medium bowl or large measuring cup. Add 1/2 cup water (unless the marinara is already fairly thin) to the empty sauce jar or container, give it a swirl, and add to the marinara sauce. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
3. Place about one-third of the lasagna noodles over the sauce, breaking the noodles to fit (don’t worry if small spaces are uncovered). Cover the noodles with half of the cheese mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), then top with 1 cup sauce. Repeat.
4. Top with the remaining noodles, cover with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle on the mozzarella, the remaining oregano and Parmesan. Cook for 3-3 1/2 hours on low or until fork tender. Turn off heat and let sit at least 15 minutes before serving.

Notes and Substitutions:
Marlene Says: For Beefy Slow Cooker Lasagna, brown 1/2 pound lean ground beef with ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds. After spreading 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of the slow cooker, add beef to remaining marinara and continue as directed (adds 55 calories and 2 grams fat).
Dee Says: Think seriously about adding the water in Step 2. I added very little but won't do it again - it made my lasagna very sloppy.
Also, I absolutey recommed adding the ground beef.

*The first book listed, Eat More of What You Love specifically lists WW Points Plus. The other books, Eat What You Love, and  Splenda Recipes list the old WW Points values, HOWEVER all 3 books list the nutrition info needed to convert/calculate the current WW Points Plus values.

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