Healthier Italian Favorites

I grew up eating Italian food. A lot. And I love pasta in all its forms. A lot. To keep my girl-ish figure, I needed to come up with some variations on my favorite recipes. I bring you my versions of lasagna and eggplant parm (remember, I don't measure ingredients very often, so if that drives you nuts, stop reading now).

Lasagna Veggie Roll Ups:

• One box lasagna noodles (I normally use whole wheat pasta for cooking, but for lasagna, I use regular. And for this recipe, you need to use the kind you have to boil first).
• Low fat pasta sauce (we love Trader Joe's Low Fat Tuscano Marinara Sauce)
• Low fat shredded mozzarella cheese (another shoutout to TJ's: low fat shredded mozzarella)
• Fat free ricotta cheese (I don't have anything to put in parenthesis here)
• Broccoli and spinach, fresh or frozen, along with some chopped onion and fresh garlic
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water so they are easy to handle. Mix the ricotta cheese with the veggies, and feel free to add in some egg beaters for a creamier consistency. Spread some pasta sauce in a thin layer in the bottom of a glass baking dish. To make roll ups, lay one lasagna noodle flat; spoon some of the ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese at one end, and roll up the noodle, keeping the mixture inside. Repeat until all noodles are used. Lay in a single layer in baking dish. Top with more mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped basil. I usually eat 2 roll ups for dinner, and we have tons of leftovers for lunch!

Baked (not fried!) Eggplant Parmesan

• One medium/large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch disks
• Egg beaters
• Bread crumbs (Italian or panko, try to find low sodium if you can)
• Pasta sauce
• Low fat mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip eggplant disks into egg beater mixture, followed by breadcrumbs. Lay eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet greased with cooking spray. **Here comes the magic** Bake eggplant for 20 minutes; remove from oven, flip disks over, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs look crispy. In a glass baking dish, layer the eggplant, pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Top with grated parmesan. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle fresh basil on top.

I know it's summer, but the lighter version of these dishes won't make you feel bloated and sluggish, I promise. Also, I believe air conditioning was invented so we can use our ovens in the summertime. Lemme know what you think!