When I was a kid, we always looked forward to spaghetti and meatballs night. There was something special about having your own special serving of these tasty orbs to eat however you chose, instead of whatever way your mother happened to prepare the meat dish.

Some of us kids liked to chop them into smaller bits and distribute them throughout our spaghetti. Others ate theirs first. Some kept them to savor for last.

All of us would have been over the moon to have our mother serve us a meatball lasagna like this! When you make this for your family or guests, don’t reveal the secret ingredient. Let them discover the jaw-dropping power of the meatball.

 

INGREDIENTS

For the Meatballs

½ cup chopped drained roasted red peppers

¾ cup soft whole-wheat breadcrumbs (about 1 slice)

¼ cup refrigerated or frozen egg product (thawed) or 1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

¼ cup snipped fresh basil, or 1½ teaspoons dried basil, crushed

2 tablespoons snipped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound 95%-lean ground beef

For the Lasagna

2 medium green sweet peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered

6 dried regular or whole-wheat lasagna noodles

1½ cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (6 ounces), divided

½ (15 ounce) container light ricotta cheese (¾ cup)

¼ cup soft goat cheese (Chèvre) or finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

1½ cups light or low-fat tomato-basil pasta sauce

Shredded fresh basil or small fresh basil or oregano leaves (optional)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

To prepare meatballs:  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking pan with foil.

In a large bowl, combine roasted red peppers, breadcrumbs, egg, tomato sauce, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape meat mixture into 24 meatballs. Place the meatballs in the prepared pan. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a meatball registers 160°F, about 20 minutes.

To prepare lasagna:  Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place pepper quarters, cut-sides down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until pepper quarters are charred. Wrap in the foil; let stand for 20 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, peel skins from pepper quarters. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well; set aside. For filling, in a small bowl, stir together 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta and goat cheese (or Parmesan); set aside.

To assemble, spread ½ cup of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer two of the cooked noodles in the dish. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on top of the noodles. Add two more of the cooked noodles. Top with the ricotta mixture, spreading evenly. Arrange the pepper pieces over the ricotta mixture. Top with the remaining cooked noodles. Spread the remaining pasta sauce over the noodles.

Bake, covered, for 50 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish with fresh herbs.

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Quick Tip:  You can change up the taste of this dish by experimenting with different pasta sauces and by adding veggies, such as mushrooms, onions and small broccoli florets.

Recipe courtesy of Eating Well Magazine, image courtesy of rufusguide.wordpress.com