Crowd-Pleasing Lasagna

Ingredients

• 15 dried whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 lb (454 g) raw extra lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
• 8 medium button mushrooms, diced
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cans (28 oz/796 mL) no sodium added tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 15 oz (425 g) container low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 10 oz (283 g) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Side Salad

• 10 cups spring mix lettuce
• 2 cucumbers, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) balsamic vinegar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Cook the lasagna pasta al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain them well, then lay out on waxed paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.
• Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain fat. Remove beef from skillet; set aside.
• Add the oil to the same pan and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan. Stir in 1 can of tomato sauce and basil; simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• While the meat sauce cooks, combine the egg, ricotta cheese, spinach, black pepper, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl; set aside.
• Spread ½ of the second can of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish.
• Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top, touching but not overlapping.
• Spread one third of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, then spread one third of the meat sauce.
• Repeat noodle, ricotta and meat sauce for two more layers.
• Top the final layer of noodles with the remaining ½ can of tomato sauce and sprinkle on grated mozzarella.
• Cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more.
• Toss lettuce, cucumber, tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar together to make a side salad and serve with lasagna.