Gimmie Lean Vegetarian Sausage Individual Mini Lasagna - easy to make!
I’m working on portion control and one way I’ve done that is to combine my love for freezer cooking with my new lifestyle change.  This week I made vegetarian sausage lasagna in individual 4oz ramekins.  It’s the only way I can keep myself from eating a too-large serving of cheese, spaghetti sauce, and vegetarian sausage….they’re just so good together! They’re the perfect size (1/2 cup) for a main dish for lunch or dinner, and I compliment it with a salad and vegetables.  For the hubby 4oz isn’t quite enough, so he eats two :).  I’ve just ordered 1lb foil pans for him for future cooking sessions.  I know they’re not as environmentally friendly as my ceramic ones, but he takes his to work and they rarely make it back home.  This is my insurance policy.

These are super simple to make and use Goyza won ton wrappers in lieu of noodles.  They’re easier to work with, are round, and when covered with sauce are unrecognizable as something other than a lasagna noodle.  There’s just two think Goyza wrappers sandwiched between several layers of cheese, spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, and Parmesan and mozzarella cheese…just typing this makes me hungry for one and I just finished it for dinner!

I cheated and used an organic spaghetti sauce (Muir Glen Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce) on these because I had a coupon and it was cheaper than making it myself. You can use your favorite OAMC spaghetti sauce as well.  Just keep the proportions similar.  Since Goyza won ton wrappers don’t absorb the moisture, you don’t need to water down your sauce like you would have to for a no-cook lasagna noodle.

My Italian Seasoning of choice is the Simply Organic Italian Seasoning.  I use the Simply Organic line almost exclusively for my seasoning because it’s available at both my local grocery stores.You can use fresh herbs, just chop them finely and use about twice the amount of dried shown below.

If you’re not a vegetarian you can certainly substitute a meat product in these mini lasagna‘s, but it will change the values quite a bit. Gimmie Lean is pretty readily available and you’ll likely find it in your produce section. It’s my meat-eating husband’s sausage of choice because it has all the flavor without the heartburn. If sausage flavoring isn’t your thing, use Recipe Crumbles (or other TVP crumble) for a more “hamburger” flavor.

Need it lighter?  Use low fat cheeses to save some calories.  To freeze, wrap in foil or freezer bags (I sucked out the air with a straw to “vacuum pack” them because I was too lazy to get the Food Saver out for just 9 items).  Next time I’ll triple the recipe – this was my batch test.  I learned the hard way to try something before making a large batch of it.

Gimmie Lean Vegetarian Sausage Mini Lasagna Recipe
Ricotta can separate when frozen before cooking. Generally if this is baked and then frozen it's fine. If it bothers you, add one egg to the Ricotta when adding the Italian Seasoning. Don't forget to add the extra calories and cholesterol.
Type: Entree
Yield: 9
Prep Time: 
Cooking Time: 
Total Time: 
Ingredients
  • 18 Goyza Won Ton Wrappers (round)
  • 26 oz Spaghetti Sauce
  • 14 oz Gimme Lean! Sausage style
  • 1 cup Parmesan, Shredded Cheese
  • 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 8 oz Low-fat Ricotta Cheese
Instructions
  1. Brown Gimmie Lean sausage with 1 TBL of the Italian Seasoning. When browned, add pasta sauce. Remove from heat.
  2. Mix both shredded cheeses with ½ T of Italian Season, set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining Italian Seasoning with the Ricotta Cheese.
  4. In a 4oz ramekin, place 1 Goyza wrapper in the bottom. Spread ½ oz Ricotta Cheese mixture, then 1 oz "meat" sauce, and 2 Tbl shredded cheese mixture.
  5. Top with another Goyza wrapper and repeat ending with shredded cheese layer.
  6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to cool. Wrap in foil or freezer wrap. Label.
  7. Heat in microwave from frozen state (about 6 minutes on high) or place in the refrigerator to thaw and then reheat in oven or microwave until heated through.
Notes
You could certainly sneak some vegetables in here - sliced carrots would be delicious. These are a perfect size for a kids lunch as well. Make them up one weekend and serve them throughout the next 3 months.
Serving Size: 4oz2518.2gm4.0425.7811.774.3817.0822.67

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