Today is a jam packed post my friends. There’s a delicious recipe for cheesy vegetarian lasagna, an introduction to My Happy Plates, and a giveaway for two lucky people! Seriously, get excited.
I have lived under the assumption that lasagna was a scary labor intensive meal that couldn’t be made on a weeknight. My Happy Plates showed me that I was wrong because in about an hour and smidge, Ryan and I had a yummy dinner. Basically, I mixed a few things in two bowls, layered everything on top of each other, popped it in the oven, and then sat down and watched baseball. That sounds like an ideal way to make dinner after work, right? Now that kind of night can be yours too.
So, My Happy Plates is a subscription service (for under $7 a month) that sends you weekly meal plans with easy and healthy dinner recipes. They’ve got “everyday” plans for those without dietary restrictions, plus paleo and vegetarian plans too. Bonus, they also include a smoothie and juice recipe. This week’s recipe was banana ginger and I was very skeptical, but then I tried it and I fell in love with the creamy-spicy combo. I won’t doubt you again.
With a subscription to My Happy Plates you’ll get weekly emails with recipes and a shopping list of ingredients. All recipes are given in single servings size (which I like, sometimes I don’t want to make a ton) but also include a spreadsheet that will do the math for you so you can calculate quantities if you want to make more. You aren’t going to get ingredients or spices or anything with this service, but I don’t see that as a problem because that’s what allows you to make these recipes for as many or as few people as possible. And the recipes you get are really diverse so you won’t get bored. Last week I got recipes for a steak sandwich, Greek salad, and shrimp tacos. Overall recipes are simple, but interesting, and easy to jazz up if you’re feeling creative.
Sound enticing? Then enter below to win one of two lifetime memberships to My Happy Plates. They’re currently in beta but the full site is going to be up and running at the end of May. If you don’t win, but want to still get involved, consider checking out their Kickstarter too. Before entering, please note all recipes are written in English and using volume measurements.
Now let me tell you about the recipe itself. It is so cheesy! For me, that sentence alone is endorsement enough. I love cheese! I decided to make four servings and when I plopped out ricotta out of the 32oz container and into a bowl, both Ryan and I were impressed and overwhelmed by the cheese. And there were still two more cheeses to go! However, My Healthy Plates says it focuses on healthy recipes so in addition to a ton of cheese, there is also one zucchini and one cup of spinach per serving. Always important to get your veg, even if it is coated in cheese.
I liked this recipe a lot because it didn’t ask me to buy anything that will later be forgotten and take up space in my cabinets. All the ingredients are pretty normal and the herbs will be used again. My only gripe is they didn’t tell me what to do with the zucchini. I assumed I shouldn’t just put a whole uncut zucchini in a lasagna, so I chopped it into thin quarter wedge shapes. That seemed to work fine, but I think if you’re fancy and have a mandolin long strips would be nice too. Both Ryan and I are regular meat eaters and liked this a lot so it could become part of our regular dinner rotation.
And that is something super important. I think practically everyone is looking for easy and tasty recipes to make after work. I’m definitely guilty of getting in a rut and making the same thing over and over again. My Happy Plates is a great resource to change up the routine and help me have yummy home cooked dinners. And if it’s covered in cheese, that’s even better.
Recipe from My Happy Plates. Notes written in brackets are my additions.
Messy level: For some reason, I decided to mix the cheese and spinach mixture with my hands. After that, I spread all the layers with my hands too. Why? Because it just felt easier and faster. Doing it that way makes it a 5 spoon recipe. But, if you’re more evolved than me and you use a spoon it’s pretty normal and not especially messy when it comes to your counter or dishes.
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 small zucchini [cut into thin quarter slices]
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 0.25 cup ground Parmesan
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 4 count precooked lasagna noodles
- 4 oz shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Mix pasta sauce and zucchini in one bowl; mix ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano in another bowl.
- Spread ⅛ cup of sauce [without zucchini in it] in ungreased small glass baking dish. [For 4 servings I used a 9x13" glass dish] Spread with lasagna noodles. Alternate layers of noodles, sauce, and cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 400°F/200°C for 45 minutes.
- Remove lasagna from oven and uncover. Switch from conventional oven to broiler on high and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a membership to My Happy Plates for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
Additionally, this post does include a giveaway. By entering, you are granting me permission to contact you via email and/or any other social network that you provide. You also indicate that should you win, you are willing to partake in any promotional content related to the giveaway. I reserve the right to share the name of the winner on this website. By entering, you are opting in to receiving email from Cooking is Messy. You have the right to opt out of future email communications.
