Several of my friends have had weight loss luck with a program called Trim Healthy Mama.  While I haven’t personally checked it out, I have seen some recipes and ideas floating around on Facebook that intrigued me.  This lasagna in particular. Loved the idea of using spinach in place of noodles! I almost never make lasagna because the noodles are such a process.  Don’t even get me started on the different versions where you have to cook up and thinly slice eggplants and zucchinis – even more work.  This recipe was right up my “lazy” alley.

Because I’m not on Trim Healthy Mama, I did not follow their recipe exactly – for instance I didn’t worry about finding sugar free spaghetti sauce and subbing stevia, or using mineral salt instead of sea salt.  You can find the exact THM version here.  I’m posting my modified version.

I loved the use of the cottage cheese and cream cheese with eggs in place of ricotta – what a delicious, creamy concoction.  My son wouldn’t even taste this, but I sort of figured he wouldn’t.  My girls both had seconds and my husband loved it.  I’m going to call this one a win, and it will definitely be added to my healthy dinners rotation!

Note: You can halve this recipe into an 8×8 pan if you wish.

• 2 pounds ground meat (I used ground beef- ground pork would be great as well
• 24oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1½ tablespoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (to taste, with your sauce)
• One (10 ounce) package of fresh spinach, or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (14-ounce) container cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) mozzarella cheese, grated
• ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling over top)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Brown the meat in a large skillet over high heat, then drain off any excess fat if necessary. Add the sauce and seasonings, and simmer over low heat for several minutes.
3. If using frozen spinach, put the spinach in a colander and squeeze and push to get all the liquid out.
4. Put the cream cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Layer half the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Top with half the cheese mixture, then layer on half the spinach. Follow with half the grated mozzarella. Repeat the layers, ending with the mozzarella. Top with a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly.