These little lasagnas are easy, nutritious, and really good. Rather than boil the lasagna noodles, you simply need to soak them until they're pliable. A simple, five-minute spinach sauce is easy to pull together using the microwave and a small number of easily found ingredients. For extra nutrition and fiber, I use whole wheat lasagna noodles, but you can use regular lasagna noodles, if you prefer (don't use the regular version, though, if you're diabetic--the fiber and nutrients in the whole-wheat version are important!). The mini lasagnas air fry in about 20 minutes, and they come out crispy brown, cheesy, and full of flavor--without a lot of fat and calories. The mini lasagnas also are great if you want portion control and/or want portions for lunches later in the week. Although the meatless lasagnas are great as a main dish, they also make nice sides if you serve them alongside a simple meat. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Spinach Lasagnas -- Makes 4 Mini Lasagnas
4 whole wheat lasagna noodles softened for 15-20 minutes in very hot/boiling water
1/2 a small onion, chopped (1/4 - 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper
2 cups of chopped frozen spinach
1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (or about a clove of chopped garlic)
1 cup of shredded Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 large egg
Spritz 4 mini pie tins well with non-stick cooking spray (or use ceramic dishes that are about the same size). Put the onion, bell pepper, and a teaspoon of water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them for 1-2 minutes or until they soften a little. Stir in the frozen spinach and microwave the mixture for another minute or two until the spinach thaws. Stir in the cottage cheese, garlic powder, cheeses, Italian seasoning, and egg until everything is well combined. Put about 1/4 cup of the mixture in the bottom of each pie tin, smoothing it out a little. Cut each softened lasagna noodle in half and put half a noodle on top of the spinach mixture in the bottom of each pie tin. The noodles will hang over the sides of the tin a little, and that's fine. Put another 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture on top of the noodle in each tin, then put another half noodle on top of the spinach mixture, in the opposite direction (crisscross) you put on the first noodle. Divide the remainder of the spinach mixture on top of the noodles. If you want, you can fold the excess noodles on the edges in a little to cover part of the filling. Cut 4 small pieces of aluminum foil and spritz one side of each piece with non-stick cooking spray. With the sprayed side of the foil down, cover the lasagna mixture in each of the tins. Air fry the lasagnas at 320 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the noddles are soft and the lasagnas are hot, bubbly, and cooked through. Remove the foil and air fry the lasagnas for 2-3 minutes more or until the tops of the lasagnas are a deep golden brown (or as brown as you want--I like the noodles a little crispy on top, but I know some people don't). Serve the lasagnas in the tins.
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