Lasagna with White Bean Basil Filling

Oh how I love lasagna! It's the perfect clean out the fridge meal. I like to add odds and ends to the dish and this one is no exception! I used leftover zucchini, onion, kale and chickpeas to bulk up the filling along with my Roasted Garlic Simple Marinara as the sauce.

I have a great tip for noodles. Take some very hot water and pour it into your 9 by 13 pan along with a t of oil. Add your dry noodles and let them soak while you are preparing the rest of your lasagna ingredients.(around 15 minutes) Just before layering, drain the noodles. This will soften them enough so they cook easily yet eliminate the breakage and irritation of boiling your pasta. I used whole wheat lasagna noodles. 6 in all to reduce calories.

The filling was a delicious blend of basil and white beans. You can use this as a filling, as a spread or a dip for vegetables. It's also really good mixed with some pasta cooking water for a light sauce. I used pressure cooked dry beans, but if you use canned you might want to reduce the garlic salt a bit.

White Bean Ricotta Dip/Spread/Filling

·         1 large clove garlic

·         1 t garlic salt

·         1 t lemon pepper

·         2 c white beans; no liquid at all (if you are using canned beans this will be a 29 oz can. Reduce garlic salt by half if using canned beans and then add to taste)

·         1 T balsamic vinegar

·         3 T nutritional yeast

·         Healthy pinch freshly grated nutmeg

·         1/3 c fresh basil

·         2 T best quality olive oil if desired

Method

1.       Pulse garlic, garlic salt and lemon pepper in a food processor

2.       Add the beans, vinegar, yeast, nutmeg and basil. Process until totally smooth

3.       Drizzle with Olive Oil if desired

This is a lasagna that you can feel good about eating. 

What are your favorite lasagna fillings?