Hunt’s Tomato Heart Healthy Lasagna Recipe

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. This healthy lasagna recipe rich with tomatoes is dedicated to my kids as I am constantly trying to get them to eat healthier and adopt  my healthy lifestyle as their own. And sneaking in those tomatoes by way of the lasagna vehicle is one way this Mom can insure her kids are getting a healthy dose of veggies and nutrients.

My best friend who is  a far more experienced chef than myself, shared this one with me years ago and it is delish as Rachael Ray would say…..

Did you know how important tomatoes are for a healthy diet?

They are low in calories and rich in nutrients like potassium, fiber and the antioxidant lycopene.  Here’s the link to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines which actually say we should all have 1 serving of tomatoes per day given their health benefits.

You also might want to check out this interesting  article e article titled “Tomato Consumption and Health: Emerging Benefits” that details the health benefits of tomatoes. This article had some really great tidbits.

Did you know that the lycopene in canned tomatoes, like Hunt’s, is easier for your body to use than from raw tomatoes?

Did you know you get 7 times more lycopene from canned tomatoes than from the raw version?

There is not a week that goes by in our house that we don’t have some type of Italian dish for dinner.  Our favorite by far is lasagna – filled with tomatoes, cheeses, noodles, ground beef and Italian seasonings. And given the health benefits of canned tomatoes, they are perfect to pick up at the grocery store for my cooking. Hunt’s grows all of their tomatoes 100 percent naturally in California too so I feel good about what I’m feeding my family when I include them in a recipe.

Check out my lasagna recipe below.

And yes I am all over the Hunt’s tomato paste that includes basil, garlic and oregano – as the seasoned tomato paste just gives it a little more zip. But you can certainly use any of the varieties of tomato paste to get just the right flavor for your family.

Lasagna Recipe:

Ingredient List

1 28 oz. can of Hunt’s Crushed Tomatoes

1 12 oz. can of Hunt’s Tomato Paste with Basil, Garlic and Oregano

2 cups water

1 16 oz. box of lasagna noodles

1 lb. lean ground beef

½ cup diced onion

1 16 oz. container of part skim ricotta cheese

1 8 oz. container of grated parmesan cheese

1 16 oz. package of shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)

1 Tbsp. parsley

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. pepper

Italian Seasoning (use to taste)

Directions:

1. Boil lasagna noodles as directed on package.

2.   Brown ground beef, adding the diced onion toward the end of browning.

3. In a pot, combine the water, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste over medium low heat.  Add the fully browned ground beef and onion to this mixture along with the parsley, salt, sugar and pepper.  Allow some time for this to heat and simmer while your noodles are boiling.  Add a splash of Italian Seasoning for an extra kick.

4. In a lasagna dish or 13X9 glass baking dish, add one cup of the meat sauce to the bottom.  Next, add a layer of 3 lasagna noodles.  On top of that, cover with another cup of sauce and half of your ricotta cheese  container.  Sprinkle this layer with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Repeat with 3 more noodles, sauce, the other half of the ricotta and mozzarella and parmesan.  To finish it off, add one more layer of 3 noodles, sauce and the mozzarella and parmesan.  If you have some Italian seasoning, a generous sprinkling of this would go great on top too.

5.   Bake for 45 minutes uncovered in a 375 degree oven.

Enjoy with some fresh bread and a beautiful garden salad!!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from The Motherhood. All thoughts and opinions are my own and the recipe came from my best friend Kelli who is a wonderful chef!