Diet lasagna: choosing a recipe for a diet

Step-by-step recipe for making classic lasagna

Lasagna is a traditional dish of Italian cuisine that has won the hearts of gourmets around the world. It has a rich taste, a high level of satiety and an equally high calorie content. There are more than 600 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Cooking classic lasagna does not require any special skills. Even a culinary novice can please loved ones with this dish.

Required:

1. Olive oil – 15 ml.
2. Minced meat – 600 gr.
3. Onion – 1 pc.
4. Garlic – 2 cloves.
5. Tomato puree – 120 gr.
6. Carrot – 1 pc.
7. Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
8. Lasagna dough – 12 sheets.
9. Cheese (ricotta or parmesan) – 300 gr.
10. A mixture of dry spices and herbs.

Bechamel sauce is prepared separately. For it you will need:

1. Butter – 80 gr.
2. Flour – 22 gr.
3. Milk – 1 l.
4. Grated nutmeg – ⅓ teaspoon.
5. Spices.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Chop the onion, tomatoes and garlic.
2. Pass carrots and cheese through a grater.
3. Fry the onions and carrots, after 3 minutes mince and spices. Simmer the mixture for 12 minutes.
4. Place the puree, chopped tomatoes, and garlic cloves into the frying pan and simmer for another quarter of an hour until all the ingredients soften.
5. Prepare the sauce: melt the butter, add flour and cook until golden brown. Boil milk with a pinch of nutmeg. After steeping for 8 minutes, pour milk into the butter-flour mixture in a thin stream and, stirring slowly, simmer until thickened, without letting it boil. At the end, add spices.
6. Grease the prepared pan with butter and sauce, lay layers of dough, on top of which carefully place the meat and vegetable mixture and pour Bechamel sauce over everything. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Lay in layers until ingredients run out.
8. Spread the top layer with sauce and generously sprinkle with cheese.
9. Keep in the oven at 180°C for 45 minutes.

Before serving, let the lasagne “rest” for a quarter of an hour, then cut into pieces and start eating.

Be sure to check out: Diet cabbage salad: the best recipes Safe cleansing: flax seeds for weight loss Kefir on a diet: are alternatives possible Proper castling: how to replace high-calorie treats and allergenic foods on a diet

What is the glycemic index of lasagne sheets?

The glycemic index of lasagna sheets is 50 units.

Insulin index of lasagne sheets

The insulin index determines how much of the hormone (insulin) enters the human blood as part of food. The insulin index of lasagna sheets is 40 units.

How to cook lasagna?

Ingredients:

To prepare lasagna you will need minced pork or beef, hard cheese, garlic, onions, tomatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, Italian herbs, vegetable oil, salt, black pepper.

For the sauce: wheat flour, milk, Italian herbs, nutmeg, butter, bay leaf, ground white pepper.

Place onions and carrots in vegetable oil, sauté for five minutes and add minced meat. Then add fresh tomatoes, garlic, tomato sauce and spices. Sauté for 15 minutes over low heat.

For the sauce, boil the milk, add bay leaf and nutmeg. Let it brew. Pass the wheat flour in the butter, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Pour in the milk (take out the bay leaf), stirring constantly. Add white pepper and salt, heat until almost boiling, remove from heat.

Grease the bottom of the baking container with oil. Place lasagna sheets on the bottom. Place a layer of minced meat, pour over the sauce and add a little grated cheese. Lay out the remaining layers the same way. Place in the oven at 190C for 30 minutes.

I think you’ve stopped being surprised that I post recipes on my blog. Let me remind you once again of my position - I believe that in order to lose weight, it is not at all necessary to give up everything that is tasty and appetizing. On the contrary, food during weight loss should be enjoyable.

Today's lasagna recipe will probably surprise many. Pasta, meat, sauce and all this for weight loss? Yes, friends, that's exactly it. Only we will cheat a little, and our lasagna will be low-calorie, but amazingly tasty.

Lasagna originates from Italy. There are many recipes for its preparation even in Italy itself. I offer you my recipe for making lasagna, as always under the motto: “Minimum calories, maximum taste” :-).

To prepare lasagna we will need:

• minced chicken -600 grams (it’s better to cook it yourself from breast);
• fresh champignons – 400 grams;
• bell pepper – 150 grams;
• cherry tomatoes – 200 grams (you can take regular ones);
• sour cream (10-15%) – 250 grams;
• low-fat kefir - 400 grams;
• onion – 100 grams;
• hard cheese – 40 grams;
• lasagna sheets (manufacturer Barilla, Italy) – 9 pcs.
• Parsley and cilantro

How to make your own pasta for a dish

Not everyone has the opportunity to buy ready-made sheets of lasagna dough. If they are not available in the store, you can prepare the main component of an Italian dish at home.

Required:

1. Flour – 400 gr.
2. Large eggs – 4 pcs.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Sift the flour, make a well in the center of the mound and crack the eggs into it.
2. Lightly add salt and gently knead the dough.
3. Divide the dough into 10 parts and roll each into a layer 1-1.5 mm thick.
4. Boil the leaves in slightly salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes, then use them to prepare a dish.

You can save cooking time by using a food processor to knead the dough.

Interesting! The resulting preparations are stored in the freezer for several months.

We will need

Lasagna is a layered noodle casserole with sauces: bolognese (meat) and bechamel (creamy). To prepare six servings of this dish you will need the following set of products:

• dry lasagna sheets (8-10 pieces);
• 500 grams of ground beef;
• five ripe tomatoes (or 400 grams of tomatoes in their own juice);
• one hundred milliliters of dry white wine;
• 150 grams of soft cheese;
• two onions;
• two cloves of garlic;
• basil greens;
• 800 milliliters of milk;
• 100 grams of butter;
• 100 grams of flour;
• nutmeg, salt, ground black pepper.

What sauces are suitable for weight loss

Sauce is one of the highest calorie ingredients in an Italian dish. By reducing its calorie content, you can significantly reduce the overall energy value of lasagna. An alternative to “Béchamel” can be sauces based on skim milk and kefir.

In the first case, 40 grams of corn starch must be dissolved in 500 ml of skim milk, then put the mixture to simmer over low heat. After thickening the sauce, add the necessary seasonings and a pinch of nutmeg.

The second option involves simply mixing kefir and sour cream with a fat content of no more than 15%. To enrich the taste, favorite spices and herbs are added to the resulting sauce.

Final advice from nutritionists

Although lasagna is dietary, only the one without dough is suitable for a pp dinner. Therefore, it is better to dine with such food. Can be taken as a snack to the office.

Don't be afraid to experiment with spices and seasonings. Add basil, thyme, and the dish will sparkle with new flavors.

NatalyaYa - Natasha, mother of three wonderful children, an experienced housewife. I really like to please my loved ones with various delicacies. But looking good is also important to me. Therefore, I try to adhere to the principles of proper nutrition - this is the easiest way to keep fit.

Optimal filling ingredients

The classic lasagna filling is a mixture of several types of minced meat. Most often it is beef and pork. However, in the case of a diet, it is better to give up high-calorie types of meat and switch to lighter varieties: turkey, chicken, rabbit.

Lasagna is highly variable. Mushrooms, low-fat fish, seafood, cottage cheese, lentils, asparagus and other types of vegetables can serve as dietary ingredients analogous to minced meat.

Story

Lasagna Bolognese, the classic recipe of which was invented in the gastronomic capital of the same name in northern Italy in the region of Emilia-Romagna by chef Pellegrino Artusi, was initially made not only from veal, but with the obligatory addition of chicken liver with truffles and cream. The first recipe was discovered in culinary publications in 1891.

Italians more often call this legendary sauce with minced meat and ripe tomatoes “ragu”, and it is used not only for making lasagna, but also in combination with wide egg noodles Tagliatelle, common in the northern regions of the country.

Low-calorie recipe options

Low-calorie versions of lasagna are not much inferior to the original in terms of taste.

With Chiken

Chicken lasagna is one of the most common dietary options:

1. Lasagna sheets – 18 pcs.
2. Minced chicken – 800 gr.
3. Tomatoes – 800-900 gr.
4. Onion – 1 pc.
5. Carrots – 1 pc.
6. Cheese (mozzarella or suluguni) – 200 gr.

   

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Chop the onion and place it in the prepared frying pan.
2. After 3 minutes, add carrots, minced meat and chopped tomatoes.
3. If desired, enhance the taste with chopped herbs and garlic.
4. Grease the pan with oil and place the sheets of dough overlapping each other.
5. Alternate layers with meat filling.
6. Sprinkle the last layer of minced meat with grated mozzarella.
7. Bake for ¾ hours at 180-185°C.

With minced meat

1. Dough layers – 8 pcs.
2. Minced meat (chicken, rabbit or turkey) – 350 gr.
3. Onion – 1 pc.
4. Carrots – 1 pc.
5. Celery – 1 pc.
6. Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
7. Tomato puree – 40 gr.
8. Garlic – 3 cloves.
9. Kefir 1% – 350 ml.
10. Suluguni – 130 gr.
11. Spices and seasonings.

    

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Chop the onions and tomatoes, grate the carrots, finely chop the celery.
2. Place vegetables in a preheated frying pan and after 3 minutes add minced meat.
3. Grate the garlic and mix it with tomato puree and kefir.
4. Prepare a baking dish, place the kefir-tomato mixture on the bottom, then the dough sheets and minced meat, pour the sauce over everything again.
5. Repeat layers 3-4 times.
6. Grease the top layer with sauce, sprinkle with suluguni and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes (170-180°C).

With lavash

Classic lavash made from unleavened dough will help you save money and time.

1. Minced turkey – 600 gr.
2. Lavash – 1 pc.
3. Carrots – 1 pc.
4. Onion – 1 pc.
5. Garlic – 2 cloves.
6. Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
7. Sour cream 10% – 300 gr.
8. Kefir 1% – 20 ml.
9. Homemade cheese – 120 gr.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Fry the chopped onion and carrots, add minced meat, finely chopped tomatoes and simmer the filling for at least 10-12 minutes.
2. Mix sour cream and kefir, add spices, seasonings and grated garlic.
3. Cut the pita bread into layers of the desired size.
4. Place sour cream and kefir sauce on the bottom of the mold, top it with lavash sheets, then the meat filling and the sauce again.
5. Alternate layers until the prepared products run out.
6. Pour sour cream mixture over everything and sprinkle with grated homemade cheese.

Bake in an oven preheated to 185°C for a quarter of an hour.

Vegetable

Vegetable or vegetarian lasagna is a hit both on and off the diet.

1. Ready-made lasagna dough – 500 gr.
2. Eggplant – 2 pcs.
3. Large zucchini – 1 pc.
4. Onion – 2 pcs.
5. Carrots – 1 pc.
6. Sweet pepper – 5 pcs.
7. Low fat hard cheese – 300 gr.
8. Tomatoes – 900 gr.
9. Spices (mixed peppers, coriander, basil, rosemary).

   

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Peel the eggplants, chop into cubes, add plenty of salt and cover with cold water.
2. Chop the zucchini and onion, grate the carrots. Cut the sweet pepper into thin strips.
3. Drain the water from the eggplants, heat the frying pan and add onions, carrots, peppers, eggplants and zucchini one by one.
4. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, then add the tomatoes chopped in a blender into the filling. Add spices and herbs.
5. Place the vegetable mixture in a greased form, then the dough, again the filling and grated cheese.
6. Repeat layers 3-4 times.
7. Finish the top layer with mixture and cheese.
8. Cover the pan with foil and cook for 15-17 minutes at 195°C.

Without flour

You can further reduce the calorie content by removing the dough from the recipe and replacing it with cabbage leaves.

1. Cabbage leaves 10-12 pcs.
2. Minced chicken – 450 gr.
3. Onion – 1 pc.
4. Carrot – 1 pc.
5. Sweet pepper – 1 pc.
6. Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
7. Sour cream 15% – 250 gr.
8. Kefir 1% – 250 ml
9. Low-fat Gaudette cheese – 120 gr.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Chop the onions and peppers, grate the carrots.
2. Simmer cabbage leaves in boiling water.
3. Fry the vegetables, adding minced meat and tomatoes crushed in a blender after 5 minutes. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Mix kefir and sour cream. Add salt and seasonings.
5. Place white sauce in the pan, then cabbage leaves, meat filling and grated cheese.
6. Repeat layers 4 times.
7. Pour the last layer of minced meat with kefir-sour cream mixture and sprinkle with gaudette.

Bake lasagna without dough for 10-15 minutes at 185°C.

In a slow cooker

A multicooker can significantly reduce time and make the cooking process easier.

1. Dough sheets – 9 pcs.
2. Sour cream 10% –100 gr.
3. Kefir 1% – 100 gr.
4. Champignons – 350 gr.
5. Onion – 1 pc.
6. Carrots – 1 pc.
7. Tomato – 1 pc.
8. Sweet pepper – 1 pc.
9. Suluguni – 100 gr.

   

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Chop the mushrooms and vegetables and place them in the multicooker on the “Baking” mode.
2. Place the vegetable mixture from the bowl of the device, dilute sour cream and kefir. Add spices and herbs.
3. Pour a few spoons of sauce into the bottom of the bowl, line the bottom with 3 sheets of dough and add the mushroom and vegetable filling.
4. Repeat the layers and pour the sour cream-kefir mixture over the entire dish.
5. Leave on the “Baking” mode for 55 minutes.
6. 7 minutes before readiness, sprinkle the top layer with grated homemade suluguni.

Serve the dish after it has cooled.

Diet zucchini lasagna

Or you can make lasagna without any dough at all with its carbohydrates! And even without meat (a bonus for vegetarians). Pay attention to the calories - this option has the least of them ! Of course, this kind of lasagna tastes more like a casserole than a pasta. But is that bad?

KBJU per 100 g: 41.7/3.1/1.4/3.1

Products:

• 0.5 kg small zucchini
• 0.5 kg champignons
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 100 g yogurt or kefir without additives
• soy sauce - 1 tbsp.
• 120 g Tofu cheese
• 1-2 tbsp. natural tomato paste
• olive oil - 1 tsp.
• salt, pepper - to taste.

How to cook:

1. Wash the onions and carrots and cut them into small cubes. Pour into a frying pan, add finely chopped mushrooms, a couple of tablespoons of water, tomato paste, salt and pepper and simmer under the lid, stirring for 10 minutes.
2. Now the filling sauce. Whisk yogurt and salt until smooth, add soy sauce.
3. Our leaves are squash leaves. That is, the zucchini must be washed and cut lengthwise into slices 2-5 mm thick.
4. Three cheese on a grater. Grease the baking dish with oil.
5. And then we assemble our vegetable lasagna, alternating a layer of zucchini and a layer of mushroom sauce until everything is finished. Pour in the filling, sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven.
6. In half an hour everything is ready! Temperature - 200 degrees.

Zucchini can be replaced with other vegetables - cabbage leaves (it will look like cabbage rolls), eggplant slices or even regular carrots.

Main conclusions

Low-calorie lasagna is a very realistic recipe that allows you to stick to your diet without denying yourself your favorite dish:

1. You can reduce calorie content by replacing a number of ingredients.
2. The filling of lasagna is very variable. It can be prepared from lean meats, fish, cottage cheese, zucchini, eggplants and a variety of vegetables.
3. High-calorie “Béchamel” can be replaced with a simple sauce made from skim milk or kefir.
4. By using cabbage leaves instead of dough, you can reduce the calorie content by more than 2.5 times.

Lasagna is prepared both in the oven and in a slow cooker. A variety of recipes allows you to find a composition that is ideal in terms of taste and calorie content.

Share your diet lasagna recipes and weight loss experiences with Italian cuisine in the comments.

Cooking

Sift the flour and make a hole in the mound. We introduce eggs there. Salt and knead the dough. Roll it into a ball and send it to a warm place for half an hour. Then divide the dough into 9 equal parts and roll each of them into a thin layer. Then, if required by the recipe, boil it.

After this, meat lasagna, the recipe for which we described in detail just above, can be prepared. Sometimes homemade dough turns out even better than the one you can buy.

Popularity in Italy and other countries

Lasagna Bolognese, the classic recipe of which has undergone numerous changes over its history, is still very popular in northern Italy today. Here it is among the best recipes for an economical menu, which entered the homes of the poor during the period of decline in the country's economy. The combination of a variety of vegetables with hearty meat ingredients and traditional carbohydrate pasta allows you to quickly and permanently satisfy your hunger.

Modern Bolognese sauce gained worldwide fame thanks to its extraordinary popularity in America, where at the beginning of the last century it began to be served with various types of pasta or spaghetti in the best restaurants in New York.

After this, the dish was included in the list of popular recipes for American cuisines, and then they began to produce their favorite sauce on an industrial scale, preserving it in jars or bags. Subsequently, it began to be consumed not only with spaghetti or pasta, but also with mashed potatoes. This dish has also become very popular among the Swedes, British and Australians.