Veggie Four-Cheese Penne Lasagne with Spinach & Artichoke
When you’re dieting or trying to cut down on fat, there are some days when all you really want to eat is exactly what you’re trying to avoid. If that sounds familiar, you’re going to love this recipe. Today I’ll show you how to make a veg and four cheese ‘penne lasagne’ that delivers just 237 calories per serving. It’s high in protein too – with 14 grams in each portion - so if you’re exercising a lot, it’ll help rebuild some muscle tissue.
Ingredients
Instructions
5 steps
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roughly chop or tear the spinach leaves. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-low, before adding the spinach. Cook just until wilted (3-4 mins).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked penne, the marinara, wilted spinach and artichokes.
In another large mixing bowl, combine the cheeses, egg white, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt.
In a 9" x 13" casserole dish, add half the penne mixture, then half the cheese mixture. Continue layering, ending with the cheese mixture. Sprinkle on the parmesan and bake for 30 mins – until hot and bubbly.
Notes: Ingredients
Wholewheat / Wholegrain / Brown pasta
- Like white pasta, but not as soft in texture
- Provides lots more vitamins and minerals than white pasta (especially potassium, magnesium and phosphorus)
- More fibre per serving too (6.3g per 100g, compared to 2.5g in white pasta).
- Also less calories in brown pasta (174 in 1 cup brown spaghetti, and 221 in a cup of white).
- Brown pasta is made from wholegrain flour – unrefined flour – which means it retains its nutritional value, and also has a more ‘earthy’ flavour.
- How do you know it’s wholewheat? Check the label – first ingredient should be ‘wholewheat flour’!
- Good source of dietary fibre, which add bulk to a meal and helps you feel full
Photos
‘Low fat’ cheese
Cottage cheese
- Essentially just un-pressed cheese curd
- It has one of the lowest saturated fat contents of all cheeses.
- Regular cottage cheese contains 4.4g fat per 100g
- Reduced fat cottage cheese contains 1.9g fat per 100g
- Beware of sodium levels, however – try to opt for one with a lower salt content.
Ricotta
Generally considered to be one of the healthiest cheeses as it has a low fat content. 100 grams of Ricotta cheese contains around 13 grams of fat.
Mozzarella
Still one of the healthiest cheeses, but with 21g of fat per 100g, it’s worth sticking with the low-fat variety, as suggested in this recipe. Some people find that low-fat mozzarella doesn’t melt so well, however… Your choice!
Marinara
- ‘Mariner’ in English
- An Italian sauce (originally from Naples)
- Traditionally made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions.
- Some people like to add capers, olives, spices, and wine.
- Italians refer to marinara sauce only as part of a bigger dish – eg. ‘spaghetti alla marinara’ (it’s not a sauce; tomato sauce tends to be called sugo, salsa al, di Pomodoro, or pummarola).
