2 layers of wholegrain lasagna stuffed with a MOUND of veggies (take a look at the little video clip below!) in a light béchamel sauce and topped with a simple marinara sauce and a sprinkle of Gruyère cheese (remember, a little goes a long way!). I have upgraded the béchamel sauce, Cuisinicity style, of course! It is free of saturated fats (I also give you a dairy-free soy milk option if you prefer–just as creamy delicious!) and I make it with wholegrain flour to boot (here is the recipe for the béchamel). You can make this lasagna exactly as I have it in this recipe, or, pick and choose different vegetables. The constant base should be the onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and 2 types of leafy greens and lots of it (here I use spinach and kale, but you could use the same amount of chopped escarole and/or arugula, swiss chard, collard greens-see my blog about Leafy Greens), along with a simple store-bought tomato marinara sauce (with no added sugar: here is one I like). That leaves you with a choice of 3 more veggies! In this particular recipe, I chose artichokes, zucchini and sweet potato (OH MY–out of this world!) but the options are limitless: SO YUMMY and a great way to get as many veggies (and variety) in your day! This serves “an army” so it makes for great leftovers!
- 1 package (8oz) 100% wholewheat lasagna
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 3 medium, carrots, sliced
- 2 pints cremini mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large zucchini, rinsed, skin on, sliced
- 10 cups fresh baby spinach (loose leaf)
- 4 cups fresh baby kale (loose leaf)
- 1 sweet potato, rinsed, skin on
- 1 big jar marinated artichokes, drained
- 2 cups homemade béchamel sauce (see recipe above)
- 32 oz jar marinara sauce (no added sugar)
- ½ cup grated gruyère cheese
- fresh thyme
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Heat oil in a large cast iron dutch oven (I like Le Creuset but any heavy bottom deep pan will do) over high heat, add the garlic and onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue to cook on high heat, uncovered for 5-8 minutes.Then add the salt.
- Meanwhile, poke the sweet potato with a fork to make little holes all over (!) and place in microwave oven for 3-4 minutes on high. Let cool, dice and set aside.
- Add the zucchini, the spinach and the kale (a little at a time, don't worry it will wilt quickly and you can keep on adding more) and continue to cook, covered, until all the greens have wilted down.
- Add diced sweet potato, drained artichoke hearts and béchamel sauce, and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes while gently stirring to cast the vegetables.
- ASSEMBLING:
- Cook the whole wheat lasagna noodle per package instructions and drain.
- Place half of the marinara sauce at the bottom of a large lasagna baking pan.
- Top the marinara sauce with 4-5 cooked noodles.
- Top with all the veggies in béchamel sauce.
- Top with remaining 4 noodles.
- Top with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until top is bubbling and golden.
I too…must count carbs….I am diabetic…and vegetarian….makes it very dificult. Plus I hate to cook. Before I retired..I ate both lunch and dinner
In restaurant’s. This sounds So Good….I could kinda figure out the carbs for the potato and noodles…tho my brain kinds glazes over…seeing all
Hi Hillery:
I made this recipe and omitted the whole wheat noodles and used sliced zucchini in thin ribbons which I used for the (pretend) noodles. My husband and daughter loved the dish. You really can use almost any vegetable in your crisper but Catherine’s choices are best! I excluded the bechamel sauce since is calls for flour. The dish was amazing, flavorful and was excellent even after freezing and reheating. I will make it again soon since my family raved about it. Good luck on your search for finding low carb option recipes. It is surprising how many are out there!
Cheer,
Susan
OH MY GOSH. This dish is CRAZY GOOD. In truth, it took me a fair amount of time to make, but I had the house to myself, “my” music playing loud, and a glass of my favorite Red, so I didn’t mind. 🙂
I couldn’t find whole wheat lasagna noodles so opted instead for brown rice noodles, which were great. The kids aren’t a fan of artichokes, so I swapped them for squash. I also had a lot of noodles so opted to do multiple layers. Otherwise, the recipe as written. FANTASTIC.
It was so good, I immediately put four pieces aside, in the freezer, for friends I am entertaining soon. Then another two or three in containers for my work lunches–I made it after all!! Another set aside for a vegetarian coworker (who loved it, too!). The remainder was for the family.
They tried it last night and LOVED IT. Funny. I just called it “lasagna,” and it was a complete and total hit. When they all had finished, I asked if they knew what was in it and proceeded to tell them about the 10 vegetables. They were very surprised! My meat and potatoes husband was especially surprised. We finished all of it and they asked for more, curious where it had all gone??!!
This recipe is a keeper! I will be back to try more! My goal is two new ones a week. It makes me super happy to feed my family nutritionally-rich food.
Thank you, Catherine!
OH MY GOODNESS Barbara I absolutely LOVE your enthusiasm and wonderful feedback!! I think it’s great not only that your family loved it but that you involved them so much in its nutrition after they were “won-over”!! I so look forward to you trying more of my recipes and taking your family along! BRAVO!! 🙂
Just made a change to my menu for the week, this is going in on Wednesday. I can’t wait to try it on my meat and potato husband. He has been doing great on the new menu items and is finding the new recipes so full of flavor.
Thanks Katherine. I love the ease of your site and all the wonderful recipes at the touch of a button. I found yummly a little overwhelming so I am sticking to Cuisinicity for now.
You are so very welcome Arlene!!! Thank you in turn for your wonderful support and love of my recipes, it really fills me with joy! 🙂
Hi Katherine:
I know you don’t post the nutritional value since all your recipes are clearly nutrient dense. Is it possible to obtain the carb count for this recipe? It looks so good and I would enjoy preparing it for my family. My husband too is an avid low carb person,(no grains, bread, etc.).
Your help and comments are always a joy to receive.
Hi Susan!
I have the feeling that this is probably not the right website for you and your husband if you are focusing on “carbs” per se because as you know, not all “carbs” are created equal. For example, lentils, wholegrains and fruit, which you will find in abundance on Cuisinicity are high in carbs and yet I absolutely love to use them, in fact, I go out of my way to do so!
I discuss why I choose not to concentrate on the nutritional analysis of each recipe here: http://cuisinicity.com/calories-in-calories-out-but-dont-obsess/ and why it’s so nice to have every one decide for themselves what they love to eat within the realm of healthy eating, concentrating on whole foods as opposed to single nutrient categories: http://cuisinicity.com/youre-the-boss/
I hope this is helpful! 🙂
Thank you Katherine! Yes, we do not eat whole grains like wheat, rice, oats and some beans but we eat most everything else including good carbs like vegies and fruit. I love your recipes and site. I will continue to use and enjoy them. I am plan to try your lasagne recipe for my family with using only a few wheat noodles. I am unable wheat and this is the reason “why” I stay clear of this type of grain.
Thank you also for sharing your wisdom and ideas on nutrition. I feel it is helpful information.. I appreciate you taking the time out from your busy to day to get back to me. I continue to improve my healthful eating for me and my family.
Have a great week and thank you again and for your kind and useful response.
Kindest regards,
Susan
Wonderful Susan! It sounds like you re making it work beautifully for you and your family and I am delighted to hear that I can contribute a little! Please let me know how you like (love!) my veggie lasagna! I always love to hear! 🙂