TORTILLA LASAGNA

1 tablespoon (15 mL) of vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 tablespoons (30 mL) of brown sugar

1 tablespoon (15 mL) of chili powder

1 teaspoon (5 mL) of ground cumin

1 teaspoon (5 mL) of dried oregano

½ teaspoon (2 mL) of sea salt

A 19-ounce (540 mL) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups (500 mL) of frozen corn

2 cups (500 mL) of your favorite salsa

1 bag (12 ounces/340 g) of shredded taco-blend cheese or 12 ounces (340 g) shredded Cheddar cheese

10 small corn tortillas

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Splash the oil into a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions soften, just 2 or 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt. Stir and sizzle for a minute or two more. Stir in the beans, corn and salsa. Continue cooking until heated through. Remove from the heat.

Spoon half the bean mixture evenly into your lasagna pan. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheese. Cut 1 tortilla in quarters and fit firmly into the corners. Cut another 2 in half and complete the ends and sides of the layer. Overlap 2 whole tortillas in the middle. Press firmly into place. Make 1 more layer in the same manner, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until heated through and the cheese is lightly browned, 30 minutes or so. Cool in the pan until the lasagna firms a bit, 10 minutes or so. Slice, scoop, serve and share!

ALL-DAY SAUSAGE LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon (15 mL) of vegetable oil

4 spicy Italian sausages, thickly sliced

1 large onion, chopped

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

A 28-ounce (796 mL) can of crushed tomatoes

A 5.5-ounce (156 mL) can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons (30 mL) of dried oregano

4 cups (1 L) or so of shredded mozzarella (about 10 ounces/280 g)

12 ounces (340 g) of cottage cheese

½ cup (125 mL) of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

8 ounces (225 g) or so of oven-ready lasagna noodles (12 to 14 noodles)

 Description

Preheat your favorite heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the vegetable oil and toss in the sausages, searing until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and continue sautéing as the 

onions soften, 2 or 3 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano. Remove from the heat.

Fill your slow cooker with layers of flavor. Begin with one-third of the sausage mixture, then follow with one-third of the two cheeses, half the noodles, a third of the sausage, a third of the cheeses, the remaining noodles, the remaining sausage mixture and the remaining cheese. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. When you get back from wherever life takes you, serve and share!

Swiss Chard, Eggplant, and Mushroom Lasagna

This recipe calls for a lot of vegetables since they lose volume when cooked. To break up the cooking time, you can prep and cook the eggplant, Swiss chard, and mushrooms (steps 1 through 3) in advance. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.







 






Ingredients
3 medium eggplant, trimmed (3 pounds)
3½ pounds Swiss chard, thick stems trimmed, chopped
12 ounces mushrooms, chopped (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 cups part-skim ricotta, drained
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
4 cups prepared reduced-sodium marinara sauce
1 package (9 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles, preferably whole wheat
1½ cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
¼ cup grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)

1 HEAT the broiler. Slice the eggplant lengthwise, 1⁄3″ thick. Coat the slices on both sides with cooking spray and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, working in two batches, and broil 6″ from the heat until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and broil until the opposite sides are browned and the flesh is very tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

2 FILL a large pot with about ½″ of water and place a steamer basket inside. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the Swiss chard, working in two batches. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain thoroughly. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the chard tightly with your hands to extract as much water as possible and blot the chard dry with a clean kitchen towel.

3 HEAT the oven to 400°F. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and liquid has evaporated, 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the garlic and pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute. Add the Swiss chard and cook until heated through and any liquid has evaporated, 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4 COMBINE the ricotta, egg, and egg whites in a large bowl and season with freshly ground black pepper.

5 SPREAD 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of a deep-dish, 9″ × 13″ baking dish. Add 4 noodles and cover with half of the ricotta, then half of the eggplant, then half of the Swiss chard-mushroom mixture, then ½ cup of the mozzarella, and then 1 cup of the sauce. Repeat the layers again, starting with the noodles and ending with 1 cup sauce. Top with a third layer of noodles (you may have some leftover), the remaining 1 cup sauce, and ½ cup mozzarella. Top with the Parmesan.

6 COVER with foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned, 15 minutes longer. Rest 30 minutes, slice into 10 pieces, and serve.

NUTRITION (per serving) 401 calories, 26 g protein, 44 g carbs, 16 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 791 mg sodium