Lasagna Noodles: Also Just Suggestions

As I've mentioned before, lasagna is delicious. It's also pretty healthy, if you use the reduced fat cheeses, and can be made more healthy by adding veggies like spinach to the fillings, and by substituting other things for the woeful noodles.

Yes, the noodles are a problem. Nothing ruins your wholesome cheesy protein-and-calcium-packed dinner like a big ol' wad of refined flour! Here's some great alternatives to those loathsome noodles:

1. Whole wheat noodles: Duh. This is a great time to use whole wheat, though, because the flavorful fillings blend well with any unpleasant aftertaste of the whole wheat, and the chewier texture works well for the noodles' role as a structural element. This is the amateur solution, though.
2. Tofu noodles: CRAZINESS! But it works. It's highly labor-intensive, but produces a fairly tasty and noodly lasagna, with all the health benefits of soy.
3. Eggplant slices: My exciting new discovery! Like eggplant Parmesan, except without the deep-friend crust. Delicious, fresh-tasting and affordable, as well as lower in calories than any other option, enabling you to have MORE of it!
4. Whatever else you can think of: Seriously, go buck wild. Lasagna is peasant food, which means there's no sense standing on ceremony: If it slices, it goes. Try slices of tomatoes or zucchini, or if you want to get really crazy, prosciutto or pepperoni!

If you're curious about the tofu noodles, here's a recipe:

1 block extra-firm tofu

Slice the tofu very thinly, about 1/8 inch each. Using a hollow-edge santoku knife helps make it easier to work with the slices, without tearing them. Lay them on an oiled baking sheet, and bake at 300 for about 15 minutes or until they are "al dente" the way a lasagna noodle should be. Then use them exactly like a noodle. This makes enough for three layers; if you like a many-layered lasagna, use two blocks of tofu.

Incidentally, pre-baking tofu is a good idea in a lot of situations, producing a more toothsome, chewy texture.

And here's how to use eggplant slices:

1 large eggplant
Salt

Peel the eggplant, and slice lengthwise (NOT crosswise, the slices go to long way) into 1/4 inch slices. Lay the slices out and sprinkle liberally with salt. Turn over and sprinkle the other side. Then stack them up in a colander and let sit for a while. An hour is plenty of time.

This process pulls the bitter juices out of the eggplant. After they have sat, remove the slices and rinse off the bitter juices in the sink. (You probably could also do this by soaking them in salted water, I just haven't tried it yet.)

Brush the slices with olive oil, and roast in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes, or until tender and golden at the edges. If you leave off the olive oil, they might be tough, so be warned.

Now you can use them like a normal noodle. Yay!

As far as the rest of the recipe goes? It's not exactly rocket surgery. Lasagna has four elements: Soft cheese filling, tomato sauce, shreded cheese, and "noodles" (whatever layerable thing you are using, noodle or no).

My soft cheese filling is usually three cups of ricotta, 2 eggs, some parmesan cheese, and a teaspoon of oregano. You could also use parsley and/or basil, and you can add garlic if you like. An easy addition is to thaw a package of frozen chopping spinach, squeeze out the water, and toss the leaves into the filling.

Then I use plain mozzarella for the shredded cheese layers, but also sometimes I use Sargento's reduced fat Italian cheese blend, which is quite good. Their Pizza Cheese and Italian Herd And Cheese Bistro Blends are good, too.

For tomato sauce, well... You'll laugh, but I find that the cheaper tomato sauce that comes in a can is better than the glass jarred sauces, with the exception of the very expensive ones Emeril makes. I suspect that the ordinary jarred sauce is damaged by the exposure to light, and Emeril's probably is, too, but the original recipe is so much superior that it's still good despite this. I wish they sold tomato sauce in dark glass!

Well, there you have it: Lasagna.

If you want to try something more special, here's my favorite "alternate lasagna" recipe: Creamy Spinach Lasagna with whole wheat noodles, by Cooking Light.

To make that recipe, you will want to add parmesan or romano cheese to the creamy filling, as well as some finely chopped onion and minced garlic, and some of your favorite herbs, such as basil. Otherwise, the filling is bland. With those additions, though, this is a luxuriously silky lasagna that is great for company, because it uses "normal" whole wheat noodles, and in such a way that the whole wheat flavor is actually a part of the recipe, not an unfortunate side effect.