Cozy Up To This Idea

Often times our comfort foods are the worst for you - high in calories, and often, high in saturated or trans fats as well. And as it's getting colder and we get less active (as most of us hibernate this time of year), we want the comfort without the junk.

One of the best comfort foods of all time is Lasagna. And with a slice usually costing us about 500-600 calories in our daily intake (not to mention over 20g of fat and toooons of sodium), it's not a viable dinner option for those who watch what they eat.

The solution - good old portion control. By eating one or two rolls rather than a whopping huge piece of lasagna, you're controlling how much you eat. You can debate whether or not you need more to eat, rather than just forcing yourself to finish what you have on your plate. And by using low-fat ingredients, you won't feel so bad grabbing a second helping.

Lasagna Rolls:

What you need:
*1 box of whole wheat lasagna noodles
*1 container of light ricotta or cottage cheese
*any veggies you like (onions, garlic, peppers, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, whatever!)
*Pam or any other kitchen spray (for the pan, to cook your veggies)
*tomato sauce - enough for the bottom of the cassarole dish and enough to top the rolls, so about a jar and a half (high fibre is my fave, but if you have a favorite or make your own, by all means)
*part-skim mozzarella cheese - about 1 1/2 cups (or as much as you like on top)

How to do it:
1) Boil some water and cook up the noodles/preheat your oven to 425 degrees F
2) At the same time you are cooking your noodles, heat up your pan with kitchen spray and saute your veggies - i usually use whatever I have on hand - until cooked through.
3) prepare a casarole dish with tomato sauce on the bottom, just enough so you can't see the bottom
4) mix the veggies and the ricotta together in a bowl
5) drain your pasta and pat dry a little bit, and then lay the noodles out on a large clean work surface or a cutting board
6) spoon your ricotta/veggie mixture along each noodle, and then roll them up (as if rolling a jelly roll) and place them seam side down in the tomato sauce mixture. Not too close together - leave about a centimetre between each roll.
7) after you've finished all your lasagna rolls, top them with some more tomato sauce and your cheese
8) cover lightly with tin foil and cook for 20 mins, then remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes
Tip: let it stand for 8-10 mins before serving - it will be easier to serve and not to hot to eat. As well, if there is an extra sauce leftover, serve it along side the rolls, every one likes extra sauce.

Hope you enjoy this one all winter long!
XO