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Skinny Family-Style Lasagna

skinny lasagna plated with wineAre you noticing a trend in my foodie posts lately?

No?

S-K-I-N-N-Y 😉

I have been trying very hard to incorporate low-calorie options into my favorite recipes. I’ve tried every diet under the sun these last few years and even though I know for PCOS I should be eating low(ish) carb, that doesn’t mean I can’t have carbs. I just need to eat them in moderation. Thankfully the hubs gifted me a Veggetti for Christmas so I am able to turn vegetables into noodles and such. I just haven’t used it yet 😉 If you need a low carb lasagna recipe – I’ve got one! 

So for this lasagna recipe we are going to skip the store-bought jarred and canned sauces. No Prego. No Hunts. No. No. Normally I use my homemade tomatoes, but hey! Guess, what?

I’m out.

So, summer needs to hurry and get here so I can grow more! But you know what is a good substitute? Tomatoes that are also grown here in Michigan (and Indiana and Ohio.)  That’s where Red Gold Tomatoes comes in. I had never tried Red Gold Tomatoes before but I had seen them in the ingredient photos for plenty of bloggers so I figured they must be good. When Red Gold reached out to me I was happy to partner with me for their January promotion! Starting today, twice a week Red Gold will be giving away a Le Creuset Lasagna Pan (squeeeeee,) a simple gourmet lasagna kit, a Red Gold spatula, a Garfield toy (Whhhaaaaa?) coupons and an apron. Just check out the Red Gold Facebook site for all the details! What foodie wouldn’t love that good stuff? Good luck to all of those who enter.

red gold tomato products

So, here is the part where I am supposed to tell you that Red Gold sent me a lasagna kit in order to facilitate my review. The kit was amazing. I received a few cans of Italian seasoned tomatoes, a large can of crushed tomatoes, a box of lasagna, a coupon for Laura’s Lean Beef (I <3 this stuff,) a reusable shoppers tote and an apron! Fun!

Fun fact: Red Gold began in the 1940s growing food for the U.S. Army during WWII and is now owned by its third generation – Brian and Selita Reichart. The plan is to pass this family business on to their sons (who currently work in the business.) I think this is pretty amazing as a lot of businesses these days don’t have history like that.

If you follow YUM eating on Instagram than you may have noticed the fun photo where we shared the leftover lasagna noodles. I think that is the best part!

When I was a little girl one of my favorite dishes to help my mom with was the lasagna. I always knew there would be a few noodles leftover. Her and I would give them a dab of sour cream, roll them, and enjoy our tasty treat. We would laugh and push the pan of lasagna in the oven. I looked forward to those times. As an adult, I am glad I have someone to pass some of those things to.

chrys and mad making lasagna

(why yes , that is a my Cabbage Patch Kid on top of my China cabinet. She’s going to be 31 in July.)

Kiddo may not be biologically mine, but she’s been with me since she was 3 and she’s going to be 10 at the end of the month. Now that she is a little older, she gets more enjoyment over the production of lasagna.

dad and mad make lasagna

I am thrilled that it is more of a family affair now. Less work for me. I love that we each have a part in the creation.

Hubs made the sauce. He used 1 can (14.5oz) of the stewed Red Gold Italian tomatoes and 1 large can (28oz) of the crushed tomatoes and 1 (6oz) can of tomato paste. All of this was added to the food processor along with some onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, chives and some cayenne pepper.

Now, because he doesn’t bother to write things down for me – I can’t tell you how much he used. He’s very much a shake and taste kinda guy.

However, if you need a recipe, check out the Bring the Family Together Lasagna. The recipe there is pretty similar.

skinny lasagna

For Laura’s Lean Beef I added oregano, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper to the pan as the ground beef was cooking.

Cook the lasagna according to box directions. Mozzarella cheese was skim milk, so lower in fat and calories. We swapped regular sour cream for light.

See? It’s not too hard to swap your family lasagna for a skinny version.

Noodles, sour cream, beef, sauce, cheese. Rinse. Repeat. 😉

Then enjoy the extra noodles. I prefer mine with a small amount of sour cream and then roll. Kiddo and her dad like to add a little sauce.

I’d like to thank Red Gold Tomatoes for giving me the chance to taste their product. I can recommend and give two thumbs up. They had a wonderful sunshine flavor. You can tell this is a family that cares about what their packaging.

What is your favorite family meal and does the whole family chip in?

 

This is the recipe that Red Gold sent me for their Skinny Lasagna. Like you guys know, I don’t follow recipes, but I am going to post it so that you guys can have one!

SKINNY LASAGNA

Red Gold Tomatoes & Lauras Lean Beef brought to you by Chrystal Mahan @ YUM eating
4.80 from 20 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup water
  • 1 28 ounce can RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES or 2 (15 ounce) cans RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES
  • 2 14.5 ounce cans RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES with BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 pound Laura’s 96% Lean Ground Round or ground turkey, cooked and drained
  • 1 16 ounce box traditional whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked
  • 1 15 ounce carton low fat cottage cheese
  • 2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup grated low sodium Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350o F. In large mixing bowl combine water, RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES and RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES with BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO, black pepper, Italian seasoning and ground round, stir to combine ingredients in the sauce.
  • Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1½ cups of sauce mixture. Arrange 1/3 of noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapped. Top with ½ of cottage cheese, ½ of mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of sauce. Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of noodles and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours; until noodles are cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Using Laura’s Lean Ground Round
NUTRITIONAL FACTS PER SERVING
Calories 330, Fat 8g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 35mg, Sodium 610mg, Carbohydrate 38g, Fiber 7g, Protein 26g,
Vitamin A 25%, Vitamin C 15%, Calcium 40%, Iron 15%
Using Ground Turkey
NUTRITIONAL FACTS PER SERVING
Calories 350, Fat 11g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 830mg, Carbohydrate 39g, Fiber 7g, Protein 25g,
Vitamin A 25%, Vitamin C 15%, Calcium 40%, Iron 15%

 

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106 Comments

  1. We love lasagna in our house, but then again – we are Italian, so it would be totally wrong on so many levels if we didn’t 😉

    1. We also love lasagna and this recipe looks great. I have a friend who’s husband is Italian and he doesn’t like cheese or lasagna. We always tell him he isn’t a true Italian.

  2. Yum. This looks great we love lasagna. We love to make lots together but I really love getting the kids involved in meatballs and casseroles. They love helping with a salsa chicken dish I make, my kids love helping in the kitchen so it’s rare for them NOT to be in there helping!

    1. I actually have a hard time getting my kids to help in the kitchen. They just want to reap the rewards of what I make 😉

      1. My kiddo wants to help as long as it’s the most messiest process ever and only then. He likes to be right underfoot and his lack of danger worries me so i just don’t let him in. It’s safer and helps my peace of mind.

  3. This looks really good. It has been a while since we made Lasagna Thanks for the recipe I can’t wait to try it.

      1. I have used peppers and eggplant. I have yet to try the zucchini method. I really need to start doing this and make a small pan for myself. I love vegetables!

  4. How cool that the family business has been passed down for over three generations now! I have made homemade lasagne several times, but haven’t made it in a few years because of how long it takes. It is always so delicious though, and so much better than lasagne that you can purchase in the stores! I’ll have to check out the recipes that you shared here.

  5. Having lasagna noodles rolled up with a bit of sour cream sounds heavenly.

    This may sound silly but I had no idea sour cream went into lasagna! Maybe that’s why mine doesn’t taste as good, and I have only made it twice, ever.

  6. 5 stars
    I am single so any cooking is done by me alone. I definitely like the idea of LOWER carb dishes since I am diabetic. Although I will probably not make an entire lasagna for just me–those substitutes gave me an idea for something else.

    1. It does make a good freezer meal! You could cook a small pan and then divide it up. 🙂 I’ve made 2 pans at a time just so I would have one ready when we wanted it.

  7. We have been trying to reduce our calorie intake as well. It is so easy to modify recipes just a little bit to cut out either carbs or calories. Lasagna is one of our favorites especially in the winter time it is such a warm dinner!

    1. I am finding that this time around trying to swap things is going so much easier. I am afraid of fat free because it has more chemicals and sugars so I go light. It seems to be a good compromise. I do buy regular fat stuff too and just watch portions. But, I swap everything where I can. It is making me feel better.

  8. There is something warming about a good bowl of lasagna, I will have to give this a whirl next time I make one 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    I love this recipe, I’m always a fan of Italian food but it’s always too heavy. This looks like a good option for those that want to eat on the lighter side.

  10. 5 stars
    The only changes I have to make to this is having a white sauce instead of a red sauce because I break out in awful rashes when I eat tomatoes. I love lasagna with cottage cheese melted inside of it the white sauces are not to bad but not as healthy in terms of the calories. I love low calorie meals for the family they usually go for two or three servings and having a lower calorie choice means I wouldn’t feel guilty if they ate more then one serving.

    1. I have made it with cottage cheese and even ricotta instead of sour cream. I like it all ways. But, the sour cream is how my mom made it when I was growing up so that is what I tend to gravitate towards. When I was younger I used to break out in hives when I had tomatoes too. I would love to make an alfredo lasagna. But, hubs would have to eat something else. He doesn’t like it.

  11. You should look up low carb high fat diet with PCOS! I have two friends who have no issues any more because they switched to it. Just a little research, never know! 🙂 good luck!

    1. I was super low carb for a long time. I did a Keto style low carb. Now, I just watch my carbs and don’t eat white pasta or rice often. When I found out that after all these years my ailments were from the PCOS, first I cried. I am getting too old to have kids with fertility treatments and the risks. So, I won’t be having any. Then, there is all the issues associated with the PCOS itself. At the same time I was finally happy to have answers.

      I’m still trucking along. I am doing baby steps this year.

  12. M is starting to look so much like Mr. Yum. I’m glad you guys let her help in the kitchen, so many kids don’t have a clue how to cook anything and then just eat a bunch of crap.

    1. She is, but then she isn’t. If you put her next to her mom, oh boy. You really see it. But, when you put M & M with his mom, you really see that side of the family. It’s kinda cute. She’s been helping me since I have known her. Even when she couldn’t do much she would still pull up a chair and watch. She no longer needs to stand on that chair. It’s kinda of sad, but I am also happy she is getting older.

  13. 5 stars
    These are the ones I use too Red Gold. I make my own sauce with them. The lasagna sounds really good and I haven’t made it for a while so I am making next week. I will make extra to freeze it for easy meals. Thanks for sharing.

  14. I love when food brings people together. This looks delicious and I know for sure that my 3 year old niece will want to help, doing our cheat day at the house. I envy that you still have your cabbage patch doll. I’m going to ask my mom for mine. 🙂

  15. 5 stars
    We love lasagna from time to time and I know it can be loaded with calories. This seems like a great way to still enjoy the flavors one loves but know they are not packing away the pounds doing so.

    I do love when the whole family participates in meal preparation. It makes it so much more fun to cook in the kitchen.

  16. 5 stars
    We always use the Red Gold Tomatoes here at my house in the winter when we can’t get our own fresh. They taste the best as far as I am concerned. That lasagna looks delicious!

  17. I love that it’s a family affair too. How fun for you guys. My hubby’s in charge of meatloaf and lasagna, the only two things he likes to make. Otherwise the kiddos are in the kitchen helping me quite a bit too.

  18. This looks pretty delicious!!! Italian food is one of the only things we all agree on in this house so I may have to give this recipe a try 🙂

  19. That’s really cool that they have kept the business in the family. We don’t really have a family meal like that, where everyone pitches in to help. Maybe Saturday morning pancakes…? I’m a vegetarian, and my husband eats a lot of red meat, and my son is a super picky eater, so we rarely all eat the same thing at meals anyway 🙂

    1. I am aiming towards a more vegetarian lifestyle again. I just feel better overall. My husband and kiddo love their meat though. I’m slowly making the same things, but swapping out my meat for a different protein. I’ll be doing a lot more of this during the year. Small steps.

  20. We love lasagna but we usually buy it from the store. Now I could make my own and make it with my kids. It looks delicious and I bet cheaper than buying ready to cook one from the store.

  21. 5 stars
    I’ve made this before {really similar recipe} and it tasted amazing. I also used ravioli once instead of the lasagna noodles and the kids loved it. Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ve bookmarked it.

  22. 5 stars
    Skinny or not – this recipe sounds absolute deelish!!! I have been eying the Vegetti for our household – my kids, thankfully!, love vegetables and I thought this would be a fun way to eat them in a different way. Pinning this recipe to try soon! Thanks for sharing!

  23. One of my boys is allergic to cheese so I actually make a really low fat lasagna with cauliflower as the filling. I just whip it up with garlic in the food processor and spread it between the layers with sauce. It’s really good and you don’t miss too much of the cheese.

  24. This looks like a classic made even better. Classic lasagne has so many calories. I love this lighter version. There’s nothing better on a cold winter’s evening. I’ll be making this soon. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. It looks delicious!

    1. If not for my mother trying to keep me in the kitchen I wouldn’t know the stuff I know today. I hope that I continue to pass that information on to kiddo.

    1. I have a photo of the small dog trying to help by getting up on the table behind the counter. LOL We have another dog and a cat that always seem to join us during dinner 😉

  25. Looks very yummy and delicious. I have never tried Lasanga at home. I had it in a hotel during last year outing with my family. My girls loves it a lot. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Wil have to try this for sure.

  26. Ahahaha! That usually is the case when cooking or baking becomes a family bonding time – expect a lot of tasting ( the food ) even before it’s all cooked. But that also makes cooking fun. I’ll share this recipe at home. I’m sure it’s going to be a huge hit.

  27. I love lasagna but it is such a pain, expensive to make and causes havoc on my tummy. I remember seeing Red Gold Tomatoes but don’t recall where. Rotel’s tomatoes is more common here. I’ve never cooked noodles in the oven without precooking them. Interesting 🙂 It looks good!

  28. That looks absolutely amazing and like you had such a fun time making it. My son also loves to cook with me and it has been so long since I have made any lasagna. YUM

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