Meatless Monday: Simple & Savory Bella Lasagna

I'll admit it.  I love meaty lasagna. In fact, I'm a huge fan of extra meat in my lasagna. It reminds me of my childhood.  I could easily just eat the insides of the lasagna and leave the noodles for someone else.  That being said, I was pretty surprised by my desire to make this meat-free lasagna recipe the moment I saw it.  It's a meatless lasagna, but the portobellas (in my opinion) truly make up for the lack of meat.  After all, 1-cup of portobella mushrooms has about 5 grams of protein. Not bad. And I much prefer portobellas to lasagna noodles.  Seriously, so much more flavorful and filling.

This was one of those photos I was forced to take at night, when the light was pretty awful.  The photo doesn't come close to indicating its true deliciousness.

Do you ever read diabetes cookbooks?  I do.  I don't even think they should be called diabetes cookbooks, as they deter non-diabetics from reading them and using their recipes (it's true, I tell people I use diabetes cookbooks sometimes and get very strange looks).  In my opinion, a "diabetic diet" is just a healthy, balanced diet that all people should follow!  I mean, it's calorie and carbohydrate controlled, plus it includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk/dairy alternatives, and the occasional treat.  Sounds about right to me.  This recipe was found in Diabetic Living Magazine.  Their recipes are wonderful (I found this year's Thanksgiving recipes in this same magazine.  They were a huge success).

Bella Lasagna

Serves: 4

Slightly modified from a recipe found in Diabetic Living

Ingredients
8 - large portobella mushrooms - stems and gills removed **

1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 - 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon salt-free Italian seasoning **
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese (1%) **
2 tablespoons fresh Parmesan cheese

 NOTE:  If you're following a low FODMAPs Diet, this probably isn't the best recipe! Mushrooms  contain FODMAP), but I seem to be able to tolerate ~1/2 cup at a time. I omitted the onion from this recipe to make it more tolerable, but there will likely be onion and garlic in the Italian Seasoning (look for a seasoning without those two).  Also, look for Lactaid brand cottage cheese.

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place mushroom caps, cap side down (rounded side), on an unheated
     broiler pan;  sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt.  Roast for 15 minutes, rotating pan once.  Reduce oven
     temperature to 350 degrees.

2.  In a saucepan, combine tomatoes and seasoning.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat
     and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring often.  In a bowl, combine cottage cheese
     and mozzarella cheese.

3.  Spoon 1/3 of the tomato mixture onto the bottom of a 2 qt square baking dish.  Arrange
     4 mushroom caps, cap side down, over tomato mixture.  Spoon 1/4 of the cheese
     mixture over each mushroom.  Spoon another 1/3 of tomato mixture over the cheese.
     Place remaining 4 mushroom caps on top to make stacks.  Spoon remaining tomato mixture over mushrooms. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake 20 minutes.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/4th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights; Under 250 calories per serving, a good source of Fiber and Iron, and an excellent source of Protein, Vitamin A, Calcium, and Vitamin C.

Looking for a vegetarian lasagna recipe that is more traditional?  Check out last year's recipe for Tempeh and Baby Bella Lasagna.  This was another success in this meat-lover household.

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

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