I feel like I need to explain this recipe a bit.  It's a hybrid of all the best parts of other peoples recipes I've tried out, with some of my own bits thrown in. I have to say the first time I saw some of the more unusual elements of it (the cottage cheese and the Courgettes) I was sceptical, but trust me, it works... it really works!! This is going to become a firm favourite, some of the ingredients sound a little bit weird, but trust me, it turns out absolutely delicious!!

Quantity:

Makes 6 portions

Cost:

€10.00 in total or €1.67 per portion

Ingredients:

• 450g Turkey Mince
• 2 small or 1 Large Courgettes
• 1 Onion
• 1 Red pepper
• 1 Tub of Passata (usually 500g)
• 450g of cottage cheese
• 100g mozzarella
• 1 egg
• 1 Tsp Dried mixed herbs

Method:

1. Turn oven on to 180 Degrees
2. Use a Potato Peeler to thinly slice the Courgettes, put them into a dish and grind some salt on to them , put to one side. (you could do this in advance of cooking this dish, the day before if you want)
3. Chop up the pepper and the onion and fry in a pan until the onion is soft, add the passata, allow to simmer for a few minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool- when cooled, blend this to a smooth sauce. You could make a big batch of this, as this sauce can be used in lots of other dishes too.
4. Brown the mince in the frying pan, and add the tomato sauce back in and combine, allow this to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Whilst the mince sauce is simmering, in a blender blend the two tubs of cottage cheese, the egg and the herbs, add a twist of pepper too. Blend this until it is a smooth sauce- put to one side.
6. Take the courgettes you sliced and salted earlier, they should  appear quite wet now, drain off the water and press the courgette between some kitchen towels or a clean tea towel to remove the rest of the excess water. The salt that you put on earlier draws the moisture out of the courgettes so that when the lasagne is cooking, they do not produce too much liquid and make the dish runny.
7. Now, you’re ready to start layering things up! In a casserole dish first place a layer of the mince sauce, followed by a later of courgettes, followed by a layer of ‘white sauce’ topped with a bit of grated mozzarella and repeat in this order. I only make mine two layers deep, but you can go higher if you double the ingredients or use a smaller dish.
8. Place on an oven tray and place in the oven for 45 mins- 1 hour. The top should be nice and browned when you bring it out.
9. Wait for the Lasagne to cool before you cut it into portions.

Nutritional Info:

Per Portion

Tip:

• You could put other veg in this too if you like, you could use aubergine in the layers as well. I’ve added spinach between the layers as well as the courgette before.

Niamh- Nutritionist

Why is this meal good for you?