Healthier Meat Lasagna

Ingredients

• 6  lasagna noodles whole-wheat ( 4 ounces total)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 pound eggplant peeled cut into ½-inch pieces
• 2  garlic clove minced
• 1 serving coarse mustard 
• 0.5 pound ground sirloin 
• 10.8 ounces canned tomatoes canned
• 2 cups curd cottage cheese (1 percent)
• 0.3 cup parmesan grated ()
• 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded

Equipment

• bowl
• oven
• baking pan
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place noodles in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, and cover with hot tap water; set aside to soften.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high.
4. Add onion, eggplant, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Add sirloin, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add tomato puree, and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season meat sauce with salt and pepper.
7. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
8. Remove noodles from baking dish, discarding water.
9. Spread about 1/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of dish, and top with 4 noodle halves.
10. Layer with 1/3 cheese mixture, then 1/3 sauce. Repeat twice with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce.
11. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
12. Bake until lasagna is bubbling and cheese topping is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.
13. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
14. David Loftus