Spaghetti Squash Lasagna With Hamburger And Cottage Cheese

Although spaghetti squash is a type of winter squash, it varies in flavor and texture from all other winter squashes, including butternut squash, acorn squash or pumpkin. Because of its spaghetti-like texture, spaghetti squash becomes a healthier alternative to noodles in a variety of pasta dishes. For this reason, spaghetti squash is also known as orangetti.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a fat-free, nutrient-rich food which contains generous quantities of vitamin A and C, folate and potassium. The squash adds few calories to lasagna, as one cup of spaghetti squash contains only 42 calories. Select firm, smooth spaghetti squash with a hard rind free of soft spots and blemishes. A ripe spaghetti squash is beige or buttery yellow. Avoid green squash, which isn't ripe.

Ground Beef

Use extra-lean ground beef to keep your lasagna's fat and calories within reasonable limits. Although lean ground beef is more expensive, the fat and calories savings are considerable. A 3-oz. serving of ground beef with 73 percent lean and 17 percent fat contains 248 calories and nearly 17 g of fat. The same size serving of extra lean ground beef consisting of 85 percent lean and 15 percent fat contains 12 g of fat and 213 calories. Lean ground beef also contains slightly more protein.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is a creamy, flavorful, nutrient-rich addition to spaghetti squash lasagna, with a 1/2-cup serving providing as much protein as three slices of cheddar cheese or three whole eggs. Cottage cheese also provides generous quantities of calcium and riboflavin. Several types of cottage cheese are available, including regular and reduced-fat. A 1/2-cup serving of regular cottage cheese contains 114 calories and 2.5 g of fat. The same size serving of reduced-fat cottage cheese reduces the calories and fat content to 80 calories and 1 g of fat.

Sauce

Commercial spaghetti or pasta sauces are suitable for lasagna, and the sauces are available in low-fat and low-sodium varieties. You can also use canned tomato sauce or a can of stewed tomatoes. Flavor the tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes with herbs and seasonings such fresh or dried basil or parsley, freshly ground black pepper, oregano or cayenne.

Add-Ins

Saute a chopped onion and a minced garlic clove to add flavor to your spaghetti sauce lasagna. You can also add zucchini or crookneck yellow squash, which are available during the summer months. Other vegetables include spinach, broccoli, carrots or mushrooms, which are best when added to the sauce. If you like a cheesier lasagna, mix skim-milk mozzarella cheese into the cottage cheese, then sprinkle the top of the lasagna with Parmesan cheese.