Lasagna

My husband and son love homemade lasagna.   Most of my postings on this blog have been freezer meal ideas, quick dinners, or crock-pot meals.  This is NOT one of them.  However, since it makes six servings, you can freeze the leftovers (really delicious).

This time, I made it totally gluten-free, low sodium, and low fat.  I'm going to list the original ingredients but note that I did a lot of substitutions.  

Ingredients:

1 lb very lean ground beef (I used turkey)
12 oz no-salt added tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder (I actually used 1 Tbsp Onion Onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I actually used about 1 tsp Garlic Garlic)
2 Tbsp sugar (I actually used Splenda)
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp unsalted margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1/4 cup flour (I used fava bean)
1 cup skim milk (I used 1%)
1/2 lb low sodium grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
1/2 lb lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Brown the meat (I add the seasonings here, including about 1 Tbsp Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto); drain off any fat.  Add the tomato paste, water, seasonings and vinegar; simmer 25 minutes.  I usually add a can of mushroom stems & pieces (no-salt added, drained and using the liquid as part of the water).

While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese sauce:  melt the margarine over low head and add the flour; stir with a wire whisk for a couple of minutes; add the milk and stir with the wire whisk; cook over low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes; remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese.

Cook the lasagna noodles as directed on the box, except do not add salt to the cooking water; drain.

In a shallow baking dish assemble the lasagna:  Spoon a little of the meat sauce, spread a layer of a third of the cooked noodles, add a layer of cheese sauce.  Repeat until all are used up, ending with a cheese layer.  (Usually 3 layers).  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes; let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting.

You can assemble the lasagna ahead of time, refrigerate, and heat later.  Allow more time to heat through if it has been refrigerated.

Serve with garlic bread (ours was made with Tastefully Simple Gluten-free Beer Bread with Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning) and a green vegetable (I usually use green beans or broccoli).