First Joanna Lund recipe I made
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 8 ounces ground 90% lean turkey or beef
- 1 3/4 cups hunt's tomato sauce (one 15-oz can)
- 2 teaspoons sugar twin or sprinkle sweet
- 2 cups hot cooked mini lasagna noodles rinsed and drained, (divided)
- 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
- 4 slices kraft reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (3/4-oz)
- Carbohydrate 37.7181227563867 g
- Cholesterol 86.82 mg
- Fat 7.40695801282 g
- Fiber 1.61165865380943 g
- Protein 25.23896217948 g
- Saturated Fat 2.350206875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (339g)
- Sodium 883.217499999508 mg
- Sugar 36.1064641025772 g
- Trans Fat 1.03071863782 g
- Calories 319 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat ove to 375 degrees.
- Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with olive oil-flavored cooking spray.
- In a large skillet sprayed with olive oil-flavored spray, brown meat.
- Stir in tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and Sugar Twin.
- Arrange 1 cup noodles in prepared baking dish.
- Spoon 1 1/4 cups meat sauce and cottage cheese over top.
- arrange remaining 1 cup noodles over cottage cheese.
- Evenly place mozzarella cheese slices over noodles and spoon remaining meat sauce over top.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes.
- Cut into 4 servings.
Swapping the specified low-fat mozzarella for aged whole-milk mozzarella radically alters the melt profile and moisture release of the dish, resulting in a richer, oilier top crust that browns much faster under direct heat. Understanding how individual dairy fats behave during baking helps balance the moisture in layered casseroles.
Ingredient Adjustments
Using 90% lean ground beef or turkey keeps the rendered fat minimal, which prevents the tomato sauce from separating into an oily layer inside the baking dish. When substituting regular long noodles for mini lasagna noodles, break them prior to boiling so they fit the eight-by-eight-inch square pan without overlapping too densely.
Thermal Control
Preheating the oven precisely to 375 degrees Fahrenheit ensures the thermal mass of the glass or ceramic dish absorbs heat evenly from the perimeter inward. Covering the pan initially traps steam to soften any slightly undercooked pasta edges before uncovering for the final ten minutes of baking.
Resting Mechanics
Transferring the hot casserole to a wire rack for exactly five minutes allows the internal starches and melted cottage cheese proteins to cool slightly and set into stable slices. Cutting into the portions too soon causes the liquid tomato components to bleed across the plate before the structure can support its own weight.
