This Weight Watchers Lasagna is full of homemade goodness and is plated up with only 7 WW points per serving. This veggie-loaded take on the classic Italian favorite is not only delicious but nutritious and filling as well. From the smart ingredient swaps to the extra veggies, and from-scratch tomato sauce, you can feel great about serving this recipe to your family, or enjoying it for your own meal prep.
I love making homemade lasagna because it’s a labor of love with incredibly satisfying results. While it can be time-consuming to make meals from scratch, I’ve included lots of tips and tricks on how you can make this mouthwatering recipe feel like something that’s easy enough to whip up whenever the mood strikes. Feel free to double the batch and freeze individual portions for a quick, convenient, and hearty meal to heat up for later.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- Crowd pleaser: This dish is filled with savory meat and gooey cheese in every bite. Easily served up with fresh bread and salad, this special occasion-worthy meal is always a win. Even picky eaters can appreciate this dish because the added vegetables aren’t center-stage.
- Nutritious: Lasagna is a true comfort meal. The traditional recipe calls for lots of heavy ingredients, which don’t always fit into your plan for the day. Fortunately, it can be made in many different ways. For this lightened-up lasagna recipe, I’ve kept the classic taste at the core. Spinach and zucchini are added for their nutritional value but in a way that won’t overpower the classic flavors you know and love.
- Homemade flavor: This dish uses a homemade marinara sauce. Not only does this decrease the amount of salt and sugar in the recipe, but it gives the lasagna a bright, fresh flavor that store-bought sauce can’t replicate. Making homemade sauce isn’t difficult or time-consuming and the best part is that you can always add herbs and adjust the seasoning to fit your taste preferences exactly.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: 169g
- Number of Servings: 12
- Time to Cook: 40 minutes
- WW Points Per Recipe: 7 per serving, 84 per entire batch
Ingredients in Weight Watchers Lasagna
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey: Using turkey instead of the traditional beef keeps this recipe lighter and contains less fat.
- 1/2 medium yellow onion: Yellow onion provides a subtle sweet and savory depth to the homemade sauce.
- 3 cloves garlic: Fresh garlic provides a punch of flavor. Be sure to mince the garlic finely to avoid big chunks in your sauce. Alternatively, you can add the whole cloves into the sauce and then remove them after the sauce is done cooking.
- 1 (28-ounce) cans of whole tomatoes: Whole canned tomatoes are the base of the homemade sauce. Whole tomatoes are less acidic than pre-crushed or diced tomatoes so you won’t feel the need to add sugar.
- 12 whole lasagna noodles: When creating this recipe, I wanted to keep regular lasagna noodles for their taste. Feel free to use alternative noodles such as chickpea noodles or whole-wheat noodles. Just be aware that they are more firm and may change the overall texture.
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese: Filled with protein, blended cottage cheese is an excellent swap for ricotta.
- 1 large egg: Egg binds the cottage cheese mixture.
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan: Parmesan adds an umami punch and thickens the blended cottage cheese.
- 3 teaspoons dried Italian blend seasoning: This herb seasoning adds flavor throughout the lasagna.
- 2 teaspoons sea salt: Salt is divided and used to give a flavor boost to the sauce, the noodles, and the cottage cheese.
- 2 medium carrots: Rather than add white sugar to the tomato sauce, whole carrots are added into the pot while cooking and then removed. Their natural sugars are released into the sauce to balance any bitterness from the canned tomatoes.
- 2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella: Using part-skim mozzarella keeps this dish light but still provides the classic melted cheesy taste.
- 1 medium zucchini: Zucchini adds flavor to the meat sauce and a healthy dose of nutrients.
- 1/4 cup drained frozen spinach: Spinach boosts the nutrition and also adds some fiber to this cheesy dish.
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil: A touch of olive oil adds a subtle, savory flavor to the tomato sauce.
Instructions for Making Weight Watchers Lasagna
1. Crush the tomatoes: First, preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, pour the cans of tomatoes into a large bowl. Use a potato masher or your hands to crush the tomatoes until mostly broken down. It should resemble crushed tomatoes from a can. Set aside.
2. Make the cottage cheese mixture: In a medium bowl, mix the blended cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, the egg, parmesan, and drained spinach until well combined. Cover and place into the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
3. Brown the meat: In a pot over medium heat, brown the turkey, for about 7-10 minutes. Break the turkey into crumbles with the spatula. Once no pink pieces are remaining, add the onion, zucchini, and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened and fragrant.
4. Build the sauce: Pour the hand-crushed tomatoes into the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and the olive oil until well combined. Place the whole carrots into the pot. These are used for their natural sugar and will be removed later. If you prefer to keep them, shred or finely dice the carrots and saute them before adding them to the pot.
5. Cook the sauce: Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally.
6. Boil the noodles: Fill a separate large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lasagna noodles. Boil until al dente, for 10-15 minutes. If using a different type of noodles, follow the package instructions. Once done, drain the noodles and rinse them under cool water. Place on a baking sheet or cutting board until ready to use.
7. Assemble the lasagna: Begin layering the lasagna by placing spoonfuls of the meat sauce into the bottom of the pan and spreading it into an even layer about ¼” thick.
8. Build the layers: Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce then add spoonfuls of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread into an even layer.
9. Add the meat sauce: Add spoonfuls of the meat sauce on top of the cottage cheese then top with a layer of mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make three layers of lasagna, with three noodle sheets per layer.
10. Bake: Bake the lasagna for 35-40 minutes until the sides are bubbling and the top is browned. For a browner top: Broil for 3-4 minutes. For a less brown top: Cover the lasagna with foil for the first 25 minutes of baking. Let cool for at least 15 minutes to allow the lasagna to set. Serve warm.
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the meat: This recipe uses ground turkey but feel free to use beef or Italian sausage. A blend of meat also works great in the homemade sauce. Using ground turkey and a couple of links of sweet Italian turkey sausage with the casing removed will also impart lots of flavor.
- Add more veggies: Feel free to add even more vegetables to this nutritious ww friendly lasagna. Sliced mushrooms, eggplant, and bell peppers are tasty additions.
- Use pre-made sauce: While this recipe uses a simple homemade sauce, feel free to use any sauce you have on hand. Simply add it to the recipe in place of the hand-crushed tomatoes. If your sauce is very thick, you may need to add an extra ¼-⅓ cup of water. This will help the sauce maintain the right consistency while it warms.
- Opt for ricotta: Cottage cheese is a smart and tasty swap for ricotta. If you love ricotta and have extra ww points, feel free to use it in this recipe. It will make your lasagna taste richer and more creamy.
Tips and Tricks for Making Weight Watchers Lasagna
- Plan ahead: If you’re interested in making this recipe but feel short on time, you can easily make the sauce and cheese mixture ahead of time. Tomato sauce gets better over time so making the meat sauce 1-2 days before will only result in an even more savory taste. You can even make the entire lasagna ahead of time. Simply cover it and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking to allow the ingredients to come to room temperature.
- Wring out well: Be sure to wring out as much excess moisture from the spinach and zucchini as possible. Otherwise, the moisture will come out while baking and make for a soupy lasagna. A clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth is ideal for this.
- Make it a skillet meal: To make this tasty dish even quicker, you can skip the layering to make it a skillet Weight Watchers lasagna. To cook the lasagna right into a large skillet, make the sauce per the instructions, then break the lasagna noodles into bite-sized pieces before boiling. You can also use penne or bow-tie pasta. Drain the pasta and mix it right into the sauce. Top with small spoonfuls of the cottage cheese mixture all over and a generous sprinkle of mozzarella to cover the top. Keep the heat on low and cover the skillet until the cheese melts. You can then serve it in bowls for a faster weeknight alternative.
Related Recipes
Weight Watchers Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
- 3 teaspoons Italian blend seasoning, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup frozen spinach, drained
- 1 pound 93% ground turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded, excess moisture drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium whole carrots
- 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
Instructions
- Crush the tomatoes: First, preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, pour the cans of tomatoes into a large bowl. Use a potato masher or your hands to crush the tomatoes until mostly broken down. It should resemble crushed tomatoes from a can. Set aside.
- Make the cottage cheese mixture: In a medium bowl, mix the blended cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, the egg, parmesan, and drained spinach until well combined. Cover and place into the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
- Brown the meat: In a pot over medium heat, brown the turkey, for about 7-10 minutes. Break the turkey into crumbles with the spatula. Once no pink pieces are remaining, add the onion, zucchini, and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened and fragrant.
- Build the sauce: Pour the hand-crushed tomatoes into the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and the olive oil until well combined. Place the whole carrots into the pot. These are used for their natural sugar and will be removed later. If you prefer to keep them, shred or finely dice the carrots and saute them before adding them to the pot.
- Cook the sauce: Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally.
- Boil the noodles: Fill a separate large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lasagna noodles. Boil until al dente, for 10-15 minutes. If using a different type of noodles, follow the package instructions. Once done, drain the noodles and rinse them under cool water. Place on a baking sheet or cutting board until ready to use.
- Assemble the lasagna: Begin layering the lasagna by placing spoonfuls of the meat sauce into the bottom of the pan and spreading it into an even layer about ¼” thick.
- Build the layers: Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce then add spoonfuls of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread into an even layer.
- Add the meat sauce: Add spoonfuls of the meat sauce on top of the cottage cheese then top with a layer of mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make three layers of lasagna, with three noodle sheets per layer.
- Bake: Bake the lasagna for 35-40 minutes until the sides are bubbling and the top is browned. For a browner top: Broil for 3-4 minutes. For a less brown top: Cover the lasagna with foil for the first 25 minutes of baking. Let cool for at least 15 minutes to allow the lasagna to set. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
