Vegetable Lasagna: Easy-to-Prepare Family Meal for Weight Loss Surgery Patients

Not every meal needs meat, and Vegetable Lasagna is a great vegetarian dish. After your weight loss surgery, you might find it difficult to cook for your family, but you may get the kids to love their vegetables when you prepare them with cheese. After all the vegetables are cut, have the kids layer the cheese and vegetables while you make the sauce.

Be sure to let cool for about 10 minutes after baking so the lasagna sets up nice and firm. For dessert, try Chocolate and Strawberry Layered Pudding.

Menu:

• Vegetable Lasagna
• Garlic breadsticks
• Chocolate and Strawberry Layered Pudding

See the following table for serving sizes:

Vegetable Lasagna

Stage: Soft foods

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

2 large, fresh yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

2 large, fresh zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

4 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed

3 cups Cheese Sauce (see the following recipe)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using nonstick cooking spray, grease a 9-x-13 baking dish.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning and mix well.
3. Place half of the summer squash on the bottom of the pan to form a single even layer. Spread half the ricotta cheese mixture over the summer squash. Top the cheese with an even layer of half the spinach. Layer half the zucchini on top of the spinach. Repeat the layers of yellow squash, cheese, spinach, and zucchini with the remaining quantities of each. Pour cheese sauce over the top of the lasagna.
4. Place in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups nonfat milk

1 cup shredded lowfat sharp cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it’s fully melted, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the flour to the pot and whisk until it forms a paste. Add salt and pepper; stir for 1 minute.
2. Very slowly add about 1 cup of the milk, whisking constantly. When the flour mixture is smooth, add the remaining 2 cups of milk and bring to a simmer. This may take up to 5 minutes, but continue stirring constantly to keep the milk from burning to the bottom of the pan.
3. When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn the heat down to medium low and stir in the cheddar cheese. When the cheese melts, remove the pot from heat.

Per Serving:Calories 260 (From Fat 110); Fat 12g (Saturated 7g); Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 570mg; Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 17g; Sugar 9g.

Chocolate and Strawberry Layered Pudding

Stage: Regular foods

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Chill time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

2 cups nonfat milk

One 1-ounce package sugar-free, fat-free instant chocolate pudding mix

1 teaspoon almond extract

8 whole strawberries, stems removed, rinsed, and cut in half

1 cup light whipped topping

1. Pour the milk into a large bowl. Add the pudding mix and almond extract and beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes or until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Layer an 8-ounce glass with 1/4 cup of pudding. Add 2 strawberry halves. Repeat both layers and top with 1/4 cup whipped topping. Repeat the layers for three additional glasses. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Per Serving: Calories 118 (From Fat 20); Fat 2g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 3mg; Sodium 142mg; Carbohydrate 18g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 5g; Sugar 10g.

For a change, you can use sliced bananas instead of strawberries. Either way, you'll make this recipe again and again.