A few weeks ago, Kathleen, who’s been reading NTTC from the very beginning, emailed me and said she had found a cookbook for me that she wanted to send my way.
Completely flattered and having known Kathleen for a long time, I was shocked to find that her box had so much more in it than the cookbook she mentioned! Check out all this loot!
Fun jewelry, a jar of marshmallow fluff (since I had mentioned I’d never had a fluffernut sandwich) and two cookbooks! Thanks again, Kathleen, for sending such a sweet care package! I say it all the time, but I truly have the BEST READERS!
Today’s recipe is the first that I’ve cooked from the new cookbooks, and I decided to try the lasagna from the Simply Solo cookbook.
I’m not a HUGE lasagna fan, but this one sounded amazing. Gruyere, Spinach, fresh tomatoes, cream sauce… and, truthfully, I’d never baked anything in this cute Fiesta casserole dish and it gave me a chance to try it out!
The end result: Perfect portion, with no option to eat another piece. And, a creamy pasta dish with some of my favorite veggies. Of note, without the ricotta cheese and mounds of mozzarella, the lasagna did not hold its form as well as traditional lasagna, but the taste made up for it!
Weight Watchers Gruyere-Spinach Lasagna for One
From Weight Watchers – Simply Solo Cookbook
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
1 whole wheat lasagna noodle
1 cup 1% (lowfat) milk
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 pinches salt
pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. finely grated Parmesan cheese
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook lasagna noodle according to package directions, adding salt if desired. Note: I broke my noodle before I cooked it, but I think it would have looked prettier had I cut it after cooked into 3 pieces.
2. Preheat broiler. Spray small (8 oz) flameproof casserole or gratin dish with nonstick spray.
3. Meanwhile, to make sauce, whisk together milk and flour in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Note: I used skim milk because it’s what I had. Next time, I’ll use 1% per the recipe’s instructions to make the sauce a little thicker.
4. Remove from heat. Add Gruyere, thyme, 1 pinch of salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until cheese has melted. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (1 minute.) Add spinach and remaining pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted about 1 minute. Transfer to plate.
5. Cut lasagna noodle into 3 pieces. Place 1 piece of noodle in prepared casserole dish.
6. Top with half of spinach and half of tomato; then 1/3 cup of remaining sauce. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper (optional.)
7. Top with remaining piece of noodle and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
6. Broil 5 inches from broiler until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Per entire recipe serving:
CAL 361; CARB 41g; FAT 14g; PROT 20g; FIB 7g; WW Points Plus: 9