Lasagna
Best No Salt, Low Sodium Lasagna Ever
With or Without Meat

Serves: 12

Lasagna Sauce

• 1 large onion (4.8 mg)
• 1/2 pound lean (10% or less) ground beef (149.2 mg)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (2.128 mg)
• 2 14.5 ounce cans S & W (or other) no salt added peeled tomatoes (210 mg)
• 1 can Contadina tomato paste (100 mg)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced (1.53 mg)
• 2 bay leaves (remove after cooking) (.409 mg)
• dash pepper (.044 mg)
• 1/2 cup bottled no sodium water (0 mg)*
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (.11 mg)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (1.275 mg)

  Bechemel (rous) Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (12.5 mg)
• 6 tablespoons white unbleached flour (1.248 mg)
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk (252.4 mg)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1.53 mg)
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped (4.256 mg)
• 2 tablespoons chives (.06 mg)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (.45 mg)

  Lasagna Layers

• 12 oz. lasagna noodles (16 noodles) (23.9 mg)
• 1 Italian bechemel sauce (included)
• 6 ounces Alpine Lace Swiss Cheese, grated (210 mg)

  Cook meat lightly and brown onion and garlic in the same nonstick pan.

  While that is sautéing, combine balance of ingredients in a medium size stock pot. Add in the sautéed ingredients when the meat is close to being cooked. Bring sauce to boil, then turn down to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. When sauce is done, throw out the bay leaves.

  While the sauce has 30 minutes remaining to simmer, heat noodle water in a large pan so that it’s ready when you are close to putting the lasagna together.

  While the water is heating and the sauce is simmering, make the bechemel sauce in a smaller saucepan. Set aside when done. Cook the lasagna noodles per package instructions in unsalted water. When noodles are done, drain and layer on wax paper to cool for a few moments before working with them.

  To prepare the bechemel sauce:
  Melt butter in medium sized pan on low heat, stirring as it does. Don’t let it burn. Add in flour, stirring constantly, until fully dissolved and smooth. When it bubbles, remove from heat and add in the nonfat milk, stirring constantly. Return to medium heat and stir in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and dash of cinnamon. Stir until it’s smooth and slightly bubbles. It will thicken.

  To make the lasagna

  Preheat oven to 350^o F.

  Use a 9" x 13" glass baking dish.

  Slightly grease your baking dish with a light spray of olive oil. This will not add any sodium or traceable fat.

  Arrange noodles in single layer in rectangular in such a way that you line the sides of the dish and layer the bottom to form a “noodle box.” The noodles will be sticky to sit up against the dish sides. Layer the bottom with 1/3 of the marinara, ¼ of the cheese and 1/3 of the bechemel sauce. Repeat another layer of noodles. Cover this layer with 1/3 of the sauce, ¼ of the cheese and 1/3 of the bechemel sauce. Repeat another layer of noodles. Spread the rest of the marinara and bechemel over the noodles, but not the cheese. One more layer of the noodles (this is the top), and spread the balance of the cheese evenly over the noodles.

  Seal the dish with aluminum foil, making sure to make a slight "tent" effect to prevent the cheese from melting to the foil. Bake at 350^o F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Lasagna may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until you want to cook it. This is also an excellent dish to freeze cooked serving sizes for use later, or store in refrigerator after cooking for serving the next day. Wrap well in foil and freeze after it has thoroughly cooled. Thaw and reheat to serve. Serve hot with steamed zucchini and a salad. (Note: bechemal will go down in "chunks" since it become very thick. Best to lay it in where you believe you'll be forming servings).

  For Vegetarian Exchange The 149.2mg for the meat with the following:
  1 large zucchini (.48 mg)
  1 cup steamed spinach (23.7 mg)

  When making the vegetarian version this way, subtract 125.02 mg from recipe total or 10.418 mg from each serving.