Traditional lasagna is most often made with flat noodles, meat, sauce and cheese. Many lasagna recipes are loaded with fat and calories because of the addition of sausage and cheese, but you can improve the nutrition of this dish by using lower-fat ingredients that also supply some essential nutrients. Learning more about the ingredient options will help you prepare a lasagna with a similar taste, but without all of the unhealthy fat.
Saturated Fat Information
Many of the meats and cheeses used in a lasagna are high in saturated fat. One link of pork Italian sausage contains about 22.5 g of total fat, 8 g of them saturated. MayoClinic.com advises that you limit your intake of saturated fat because it can contribute to high cholesterol, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Full-fat cheese is also high in saturated fat. A 1-oz. serving of whole milk mozzarella cheese contains a little more than 6 g of total fat, with almost 4 g of saturated fat.
Lower-Fat Information
If you opt for lower-fat ingredients you will cut your intake of dangerous saturated fat, as well as improve the overall nutritional value of your lasagna. If you replace pork sausage with turkey sausage, you will cut a large portion of the total fat. Turkey sausage has about 10 g of fat in a 3-oz. serving, with about 2 g of saturated fat. Replacing whole-milk mozzarella cheese with a part-skim version will also reduce your total fat intake. A 1-oz. serving has 4 g of fat, with 2.8 g of saturated fat.
Other Ways to Reduce Fat
If you replace some of the meat and cheese with more nutritious and lower-fat ingredients, you can cut the fat content of your lasagna recipe further. Chop three or four types of vegetables, such as carrots, squash, eggplant or bell peppers, and use to replace half of the sausage you would normally use. You will still get the flavor from the meat, but you will consume less fat and more fiber and vitamins A and C. Substituting shredded white meat chicken breast for the sausage is a flavorful way to keep meat in your recipe without all of the fat. A 3-oz. serving of white meat chicken contains about 3.5 g of fat, with only 1 g saturated fat.
Suggested Recipe
Making these changes can lower the fat content of your favorite lasagna recipe without changing the taste. Brown a 1/2 lb. of turkey sausage with chopped onions, garlic and bell pepper. Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with low-sodium tomato sauce. Place a layer of lasagna noodles, a layer of meat and vegetables and a layer of part-skim mozzarella cheese. Make two or three more layers and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes. Replace the turkey with chopped chicken breast and prepare the same way for a different taste.
Member Comments