Hearty lasagna made lighter and healthier. By using just 8 lasagna noodles broken into pieces the recipe gives you all the deliciousness of lasagna without all the guilt. Truly this is so much easier than making regular lasagna. This version is as easy as the slow cooker lasagna I shared a long while back, which is still a family favorite, but is less smart points per serving.

My lasagna-loving husband gave this one a big thumbs-up. Actually we all did. Of all of the recipes we shared this week I saved this one for last because it was our favorite.

“Comfort Food Favorite!”

If you have been coming back each day this week you know I have been pointing you back to the giveaway with each recipe. That’s because I wanted to make sure to mention that each of these recipes were not my own. They were Martha McKinnon’s recipes from her eCookbook, “Comfort Food Favorites”. You can find LOTS more recipes from Martha on her website, “Simple Nourished Living”, where she shares all of the nutrition facts and smart points with each of her recipes.  If you have never checked out her site you should. She is a gem!

Last reminder of the giveaway this week.

If you have not already entered into the giveaway for a free copy of her eCookbook you can do that here. The giveaway ends tomorrow (Saturday, December 10, 2016) at noon. One more thing I want to mention is that even if you do not win the giveaway you can still get her eCookbook at a discount. Martha agreed to giving a coupon code at the end of the giveaway so all of our readers can get her eCookbook at a discount, so you will want to come back for that as well! 🙂

Now onto the recipe…

Here is what you need for this crowd-pleasing lasagna:

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 26 ounces jarred spaghetti sauce (I use Classico Tomato Basil)
• 1-2/3 cups water
• 1/4 cup light zesty Italian dressing
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, optional
• 8 lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Here is what you do:

1. In a large saucepan or deep skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up into crumbles, browned. Drain off any excess fat. (There may not be any if you are using extra lean ground beef.).

2. Stir in the green peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water, dressing and Italian seasoning blend (if using).
3. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the noodle pieces and stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 30 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the cheese and cover again until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Mmmmmm…. Yum! 🙂

Makes 6 servings. One serving is 9 WW FreeStyle smart points. (1/6th of the skillet lasagna is one serving. When I measured one serving was a little over 1 cup and not quite 1-1/4 cup)

Extra Tips from the eCookbook…

Cook’s Notes:
A simple lasagna skillet dish perfect for busy weekend nights. No one will ever guess this one is made lighter and healthier!

Variations:
1. Substitute ground chicken, turkey or Italian chicken sausage, all would work.
2. Zestier? Add more spices – additional Italian seasoning, dried oregano, basil, etc.
3. No peppers? Use whatever veggies you like best. Sliced or chopped zucchini, onions, mushrooms would all be good.
4. Creamier? Add spoonfuls of low fat ricotta cheese before sprinkling on the mozzarella.
5. No Italian dressing? Simply leave it out.