The difference between like and love… I like pasta and noodles but I love my six pack. I find it necessary to tweak my recipes in a way to enjoy food, with less unnecessary carbs and saturated fat. My version of NOODLE- LESS LASAGNE is a great option VS. the traditional.

YOU WILL NEED:

1.5 lbs. Italian Chicken or Turkey Sausage (spicy or not)

3 Medium “mandolined” or thinly sliced zucchini or a combination of zucchini and yellow squash - for best results and flavor, sweat and roast the zucchini and squash before layering up
3 medium portobello mushroom caps (thinly sliced)
1 head of fresh or a 12 oz frozen broccoli, roasted if possible but not necessary
32oz 0% fat Greek Yogurt
1 can of diced tomatoes or 2 medium diced fresh tomatoes
1 container marinara sauce or tomato sauce of choice
Olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and basil to taste

THE SAUCE -

Remove the sausage from the casing and cook over medium heat until mostly done. Be sure to break up the sausage into small bits while cooking. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Let simmer as you prepare the vegetables.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN SAUCE : You can buy pre made sauce but be sure to check the nutrition label for added sugars. I prefer to make my own If I have the time and ingredients. it’s super easy. Sauté two to four chopped cloves garlic in two tbsp olive oil. Simmer in two 12 oz cans tomato sauce and two 12 oz cans diced “fire-roasted” tomatoes. Add chopped basil, salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. After you reach your desired flavor, start to add meat. I use three pounds ground turkey breast. Spend some time mixing the ground meat into the tomato sauce so its really fine. Let simmer for 30 minutes while you prepare the veggies. Pre heat your oven to 350

VEGGIES -

You can use all kinds of veggies for the dish. I like zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, broccoli and basil. Using a mandoline is the easiest way to slice but a knife will also work.

Thin slice your veggies and “sweat” the squash with a layer of salt on each side and roast if you have time

YOGURT -

When you bake non-fat greek yogurt it tastes and takes on the texture of ricotta cheese. You won’t be disappointed. I like to whip in a little olive oil, and garlic salt to enhance the flavor.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER-

Create a base layer in a large deep baking dish (I like the old school pyrex) with squash and zucchini criss-crossed. Add a generous layer of sauce, dollop some yogurt, and layer with mushrooms, squash, broccoli and basil. repeat. Finish with a layer of sauce, yogurt, broccoli and basil.

BAKE for 30 minutes at 350. There will be some liquid when the lasagne first comes out of the oven.. It will reduce as it cools but if eating right out of the oven be prepared from some liquid in the dish. The lasagne is great cold as well and tastes great reheated the following day

Enjoy!