Healthy Recipe: Quinoa Lasagna

 Quinoa lasagna makes for a warm hearty winter meal with a healthy twist!

Quinoa Lasagna

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups tomato sauce or prepared pasta sauce
• 2 cups no salt added low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cups sliced zucchini 
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Combine water and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread evenly in the dish.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Wipe out the saucepan, add oil, and heat over medium heat . Add onion, cook stirring frequently until they start to brown. Add mushrooms - cook, stirring until softened and very little moisture is left in the pan. Add the garlic and sauce.
4. Combine cottage cheese and egg in a bowl. Mix well and then stir in the basil and oregano. 
5. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the layer of quinoa. Add a layer of all the zucchini and then all of the cottage cheese mixture. Then 1/2 of the remaining sauce followed by a layer of spinach. Finish with the remaining sauce and add the mozzarella on top. 
6. Bake the lasagna until it is hot and the cheese is melted, bubbling, and slightly browned around the edges 35-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 266 calories 11 g fat(4 g sat); 3 g fiber; 24 g carbohydrates; 19 g protein; 83 mcg folate; 41 mg cholesterol; 7 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; 1237 IU vitamin A; 12 mg vitamin C; 257 mg calcium; 2 mg iron; 507 mg sodium; 566 mg potassium