Totally Out of Character Food-Related Post

This week's EtsyBloggers blog carnival topic is recipes. While I may not seem like the four-course dinner type, I have been known to whip up a tasty dish now and then. And, generally, being a fan of lower-fat and lower-calorie alternatives to traditional ingredients, I do my best to feed the masses without clogging their arteries or causing unsightly bulges around their midsections.

I want to give credit where credit is due - the vast majority of my all-time favorite recipes, particularly the ones that I freeze for later, come from Cooking Light magazine's supercool searchable database. I'm fairly certain that's where this one came from as well. This is a great recipe for casual family dinners when it's chilly outside and you feel like serving something with a little "substance." Add a salad - mixed greens, some fruit, pecans, a vinaigrette perhaps? - and you're done. For you cook-ahead types, this does freeze well. Divide it in half, place in two separate freezer-friendly dishes, and freeze before baking.

Without further ado, I present the best spinach lasagna recipe EVER.

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (about 1/3 cup)
1 (12-ounce) container 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
12 cooked lasagna noodles
1 (27.5-ounce) jar low-fat chunky mushroom pasta sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until smooth; add the cottage cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and eggs, beating well. Add the onion mixture and spinach, and beat well.

Spread 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture in the bottom of a 13 x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over the spinach mixture; top with 1 cup of spinach mixture, 3/4 cup of pasta sauce, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese; bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 413 (29% from fat); FAT 13.3g (sat 7.5g, mono 3.7g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 26.7g; CARB 47.9g; FIBER 5.3g; CHOL 90mg; IRON 4.2mg; SODIUM 834mg; CALC 400mg;

And there you have it. Relatively easy and absolutely delish. Enjoy!