Healthy lasagna recipe but calorie count is coming out wrong!

I need help.  I don't really have a recipe for my healthy lasagna but i replaced some of my ingredients with healthier alternatives.  I use a pound of lasagna noodles (regular kind), 1 pound of ground turkey meat, 1 pound of lowfat cottage cheese, and 1 jar of ragu sauce.  I top it with a bag of shredded cheddar cheese.  I put it in recipe analyzer and it never can find any of the ingredients i list so how do i count this?? I have been making lasagna this way for years.  But i thought it would be better with the turkey meat and lowfat cottage cheese.  (so how would you count it) could i have a cup or 1/2 cup for dinner?? What do you all think? I would eat a side salad with it.


Clarice

Perhaps next time you should lay off on the entire bag of shredded cheddar...especially if it's not reduced fat. That's a lot of cheese.

You already made it, go ahead and have a serving.  Use the recipe analyzer in the Foods section.

I entered it like this:

16 oz. lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground turkey
16 oz. lowfat cottage cheese
16 oz. spaghetti sauce
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

And said it was 8 servings, since you didn't specify.  The servings would each be:

618 calories

19.5 grams fat

9 grams of saturated fat

111 mg cholesterol

5275 mg sodium

70 grams carbohydrates

1.7 grams dietary fiber

40.4 grams protein

Hope that helps!

 

Go by the packaging on each item.  I don't know if you use 1% or 2% cottage cheese, the 1% is 270.  Lasagna noodles (pasta in general) is 220 per 2oz so 1760, cheese will vary so again look at package, but typically 70 per oz of mozzerela so 1120, ragu is 270 for a jar (but look) and I don't know the type of turkey you use either but would guess 600 per lb.  So that is 4,070 for the whole pan and divide that by how many slices you cut it into (9 would be 452 per serving).

I down size everything now. I have replaced my casserole dishes with 1 and half quart size and smaller. I make two and freezer the other for later.

I also fill it with lots of veggies- olives,fresh mushrooms.roasted peppers,onions, garlic,and fresh tomatoes. I use fresh Parmesan cheese and lower fat cheeses. Deboles have an artichoke noodle that is out of this world! 

My mom is on a diet and she said a serving of pasta she can have 1/2 cup so i guess i could have a half a cup of it??


Clarice

I use the 1% cottage cheese.  I just thought instead of hamburger meat the turkey would be a better alternative than meat.  I still have to make dinner for my family and i thought they would accept the turkey meat (which i cant tell any difference) when i use it in a recipe.  I was wondering if the no fat cheese tastes good or not. 


Clarice

The ground turkey meat is 85/15 it's honeysuckle farms i think.

 

 

Clarice

I think the fat free cheese is terrible.  Mozzerella is better (calorie and fat wise) than cheddar, but either way kraft makes a 2% of both and I can't tell the difference.  85/15 ground turkey isn't really any better calorie wise than lean ground beef...actually lara lean 96% lean beef is only 140 per 4oz and your turkey is 240 per 4oz so total of 960 vs 560 is significant. 

I think that people use the ground turkey because of the less fat content.  (saturated)

 

Clarice

People use LEAN (like 96% or higher) for the lower fat content, other people use ground turkey b/c they think it is lower but not unless you get the lean. It's all the tricky packaging and commercials =)

85/15 ground turkey has 17g fat, 4.5 sat, and 85 mg cholesterol

96% lean beef has 4.5 fat, 2 sat, and 60 mg cholesterol

92% lean beef 9 fat, 4 sat and 60 mg cholesterol  OR

93% turkey 8 fat, 2.5 sat, 80 mg cholesterol.

i'd skip the Ragu and make your own sauce - less sodium and sugar.  i think jarred sauces taste terrible anyway.

i also don't see the benefit to using ground turkey when you can drain and rinse ground beef and/or pork. 

Hiya

This is our bolognese recipe;

http://caloriecount.about.com/recipe/102921.h tml

Then we add a few sheet of lasagne & make a bechemel sauce with skimmed milk & a bit of parmesean sprinkled on the top, not too much though.

I agree that shop bought ragu is dreadfull stuff, making your own you know exactly what is in it.

We also make one with roasted veg,  Aubergine, courgette, peppers & onions, sprinkle with herbs & balsamic vinegar then roast. When cooked add to a tin of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree & a few tbsp of red wine, cook it out a it then eat with pasta or assemble into a lasagne with some bechemel.

 

Sock x

I've never tried cottage cheese in lasagna so perhaps I'm wrong but does not sound appetizing. Honestly, with everything that goes into lasagna it's going to be hard to truly make it low cal with it still resembling lasagna.

I think the part-skim cheeses taste fine and my boyfriend (who grew up with everything being whole fat and soaked in real butter) likes them too. Try the part-skim cheeses and extra lean meat, it should come down in calories.Also make it in a smaller pan so you only use a portion of what you were before.

When I made lasagna with ricotta, mozzerella, beef and sauce it came out to like 350 a serving. Which is still not great but it's a lot better than 600. You just have to pick your ingredients well.

Hmmm...I've always put cottage cheese in mine too, and ricotta, and mozzerella....I just use the light versions and less of it now, except still use quite a bit of mozzerella, oh well I only make it like twice a year so  that's good enough for me!

Original Post by queencanadia:

Find the exact items you use and then use its item number (which you put in brackets: [ ] ). That's how you get it to accurately analyze it.

I've been trying to figure out how to find the item numbers forever. I'm using Calorie Count Plus, does that make any difference? Where do you find these item numbers I've heard so much about? :)

Can you post, or send me a personal message, a link to your recipe, or the list of ingredients?  The analyzer can be tricky until you get the hang of it.  I'd be happy to help you.

the item number is at the end of the web address.  You can see it in the address bar of your browser.  I've bolded it in this one.

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/item/9003.html

Thanks! :)