Breakfast
Creamy Spinach Manicotti
This light version of an Italian favorite features a blanket of white sauce instead of a tomato-based sauce and each serving contains 4 grams of fiber.
Makes about 10 manicotti
13-ounce package fresh lasagna sheets (or similar)
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil (for boiling pasta)
White sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (regular mushrooms can be used)
1/4 cup WONDRA quick-mixing flour (regular can be used)
3 cups fat-free half-and-half (lowfat milk can be used)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste (optional if not a heartburn trigger)
Filling:
1 pound part-skim or lowfat ricotta cheese
1 box frozen spinach (8–10 ounces) thawed and gently pressed to eliminate excess water
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional if not a heartburn trigger)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray. Bring a large saucepan of water about 4 inches deep to boil. Add canola oil and lasagna sheets and cook according to the directions on the package until just tender. Drain well and rinse in cold water. Lay lasagna sheets out on jellyroll pan to cool.
- Add olive oil to large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushroom slices and sauté until mushrooms are lightly browned. Meanwhile, add 1/4 cup of flour to 4-cup measure and stir in 1/2 cup of the fat-free half-and-half to make a thin paste. Then stir in the remaining fat-free half-and-half.
- When mushrooms are lightly browned, stir in the half-and-half mixture and the shredded Parmesan and stir until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to LOW and continue to cook and stir until nicely thickened (a few minutes), set aside. Add pepper to taste if desired.
- Add all of the filling ingredients (spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Romano, parsley, egg, egg substitute and optional minced garlic) to a mixing bowl and stir to blend well.
- Depending on how large your lasagna sheet is (you may need to cut them into two pieces each), lay your pasta sheet about 5 inches wide by 5 inches tall on a plate. Add 1/3 cup of the filling and shape the filling so it is along one of the edges. Roll up like an enchilada and place in prepared baking dish.
- Repeat with remaining pasta sheets and filling. Cover the tops with the mushroom white sauce and bake until manicotti is hot throughout and sauce is bubbling (about 20–25 minutes). Serve hot!
4.3 g monounsaturated fat, .9 g polyunsaturated fat),
75 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 420 mg sodium.
Calories from fat: 29 percent.
Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 g, Omega-6 fatty acids = .7 g
