Celebrate National Lasagna Day
Lasagna Central Cuisine of Italy
I know it is very hot outside and the last thing you want to think about is running your oven for an hour. I hear you, but I have to tell you that July 29 is National Lasagna Day.
I have a great, healthy recipe for lasagne, but if you would rather not cook during this overly hot summer, then take yourself and your family to your favorite Italian restaurant and treat everyone to lasagna, the central cuisine of Italy.
My husband married me for my lasagna. Yes, he loves me, but he always tells me he just could not think of life without my lasagne. Over the years my recipe has changed with my determination to eat healthy food - at least when I cook it at home.
So let us all celebrate, at home or at a restaurant, and have a delicious plate of lasagna.
Image Credit: Whirlwind-Creative.com
Origins of Lasagna
It is All Greek to Me
If I told you lasagna was originally a Greek dish, you probably would think I held my map upside down. Well myths die hard and the origin of lasagna falls in the triple myth category.
Myth one states that lasagna is an ancient Greek dish. This most popular theory says the word lasagna in Greek translates to flat thin unleavened bread. Sounds like matzo to me except it is divided into strips.
On to myth number two, which still insists the term lasagne is derived from the Greek lasagna meaning "trivet or stand for a pot," or, I am sorry to report, a "chamber pot."
So how did a chamber pot get to be food.? Leave it to the Romans to adapt the word as "lasanum," meaning "cooking pot" in Latin. So lasagna becomes the pot the food is cooked in. Over time the food took on the name of the cooking dish.
The final theory ignores Greece and heads to 14th century England and a recipe called "loseyn." Since loseyn and lasagna are similar dishes, this myth says the dish must have originated in England.
My opinion is that no one has any idea of the origins of lasagna, but everyone does know it tastes delicious.
Image Credit: www.fastestways.net
Remember I am a health food nut, so nothing goes into my lasagna except the healthiest ingredients I can find. My recipe has no resemblance to your grandmother's lasagna, nor will you find anything like it in any restaurant.
I am skimpy on the cheese and I use ground turkey breast instead of ground beef, no salt, but lots of spices. My noodles are 100% whole wheat and my recipe is absolutely delicious.
Just because it is healthy doesn't mean I compromise on flavor.
Image Credit: photo by designsbyharriet
Ingredients
- 12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
- 2 14 1/2 oz cans of no salt diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 8 oz package of 2% mozzarella cheese
- 1 package of ground turkey breast
- 2 heaping tablespoons of oregano
- 1 heaping tablespoon of basil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the turkey breast in a non-stick skillet, add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Add about 1/2 cup of water to mixture, stir. Cover skillet and cook 10 minutes. While turkey mixture is cooking, cook the 12 noodles for 10 minutes.
- Using a non-stick lasagna pan, place two tablespoons of cooked turkey mixture on the bottom. Top with three lasagna noodles, then sprinkle cheese on top. Alternate layers in the same manner until you have used all the noodles. Top layer should be ground turkey mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
What Makes a Healthy Lasagna
2% Mozzarella Cheese
No Salt Diced Tomatoes
Ground Turkey Breast
Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
Would You Try This Recipe
I know that a lot of healthy recipes can be bland or unpleasant tasting. I have to admit that whole wheat pasta takes getting use to, but once you do you will love it. Try mixing regular lasagna noodles with whole wheat or purchase lasagna noodles that are a combination until you get use to the taste.
Be daring give this recipe a try.
Would you be willing to try this recipe?
Frozen Lasagna
Vegitarians will Love This Lasagna
I have tried several frozen lasagna dishes that wound up in the garbage disposal and a few that were edible but not great.
One stands out as a nice low -cal low-salt dish for lunch with a homemade salad and that is Amy's Low-Sodium Vegetable Lasagna. This one is a vegetarian lover's dream lunch.
Here are some important nutrition facts for this lasagna. It has 200 calories, 8 grams of fat, 340mg of sodium (few if any frozen lasagnas can boast that low sodium), 4 grams of fiber, 8 sugars and no trans fat. Most if not all of the ingredients are organic and there are no fillers or other additives in this product.
Rarely do I recommend anything frozen, but this one is worth a try. The low sodium version is hard to find. One of the places that consistently has it is Whole Foods Market.
Photo: Amy's product photo.