Over Super Bowl Sunday I tried something new.
Now, I should mention-I’m not a football fan, I just like the food parties, commercials, and half time. This year I didn’t even watch the commercials and only caught the half time performance. That’s not really the point- I just wanted to give you a perspective on my Sunday. It was all about the food. 
In this specific case- it was about Jennifer Hudson’s Weight Watcher’s “No Noodle Vegetable Lasagna” recipe. My cousin, , Trish told me about this amazing recipe last week– about how to sub out noodles and use veggies instead and I just had to find out what this gem of a recipe was all about.
Weight Watchers – No Noodle Vegetable Lasagna
I’ve never had eggplant before- and my family and I decided that we would use zucchini and summer squash instead of the eggplant (see recipe).
It was sooo delicious.
If you’re not a zucchini person, I can understand why you might hesitate on this. There are some vegetables I don’t like either. I happen to be a zucchini and summer squash fan, so I definitely enjoyed this. My brother, who is NOT a fan of these veggies- even gave it his approval and said he’d be up for trying it again another time. But I’m sure you can also sub for different kinds of veggies and still get the same idea. Play with it a little- it can’t hurt, especially if you come up with a brand new delicious dinner to serve up
I honestly think what does it- what blends and “hides” the flavor of the squash- into the recipe, is the sauce and cheese. If you’ve ever had fried zucchini as an appetizer (a favorite of mine) then this dish has the same type of flavor- minus the bread coating.
If you never had- the flavor really isn’t different than a regular version of lasagna. If you’ve never had lasagna before- think of a thick cheesy pasta shell with marinara sauce all over it (stuffed shells) and seriously- it’s that good, where you won’t even miss the noodles. If you’re a parent or guardian, trying to hide the veggie substitution for your picky kids, well then…you might have to be creative on that front, because I’m not quite sure how you’d disguise the veggies, but it definitely doesn’t mean it’s not delicious. Anyone have thoughts/suggestions on that?
So- we added two layers – one zucchini and then low fat ricotta, then one layer of summer squash with ricotta and shredded cheese on top and it was great.
We could have stood to lose some of the ricotta though- it might have been a little too full cheese wise, but still- it came out amazing so I have no complaints, just a little left over ricotta on my plate.
I was in Super Bowl Sunday heaven- and I didn’t even have a team to root for!
We use aluminum foil to avoid messy pans- but this is basically how it looked. The sauce is quite soupy and bubbly when it comes out of the oven- so definitely let it “settle” a few before serving. We chose to slice the vegetables in rounds instead of long lean slices- but it’s neither here nor there. You can do whatever. Just watch your fingers cutting lengthwise.
Once again- this doesn’t mean this is the healthiest option on the planet to have for dinner (in the world)– but it’s an awesome option to the calories of noodles AND regular ricotta cheese and it’ll set your mind to wonder…”if I can sub out the noodles in this recipe…what else can I sub out for a healthier option in another recipe?“
A friend, Michael Evans, told me that he has tried adding soy crumbles to the sauce (in place of meat) and it was delicious (though his family is now skeptical of his recipes in the future since some seemed a little appalled at eating ‘soy’) which sounds like that could be a fabulous idea. With the sauce and cheesy flavor, you probably won’t have a soy after taste.
I definitely recommend this recipe. I link right to the WW website for their specific recipe. If you make this one– let me know and share with me any additions you add to it so I can try it in another healthy style in the future. I’m sure there are so many possibilities with this dish!
I taste tested this for you- and I’m a card carrying member of the junk food junkie club, trying to eat “better”. All I can say is, don’t be afraid to try new things to see if you could like them. You won’t know unless you try- and if this looks even remotely good to you, check it out and let me know what you thought!
Enjoy! I’m a huge fan.
-DAC
