Looking to lighten your meals in 2015, but don’t want to miss out on all the foods you love? Over the coming weeks we will be sharing a bunch of tasty recipes with one or two replacement ingredients you can feel good about. At Passanante’s we don’t think healthy eating looks like a liquid diet so we want to help our readers looks for ways to lighten up the recipes they’ve grown to love by thinking twice about each ingredient and finding healthier alternatives.

This recipe for Egg Noodle Lasagna is eliminates the need for heavy lasagna noodles by replacing them with egg noodles. Watching your cholesterol? Take this recipe a step further and opt for egg noodles made with only egg whites. Lasagna noodles, while delicious, sit really heavy on the stomach and can leave you with that uncomfortable food-baby feeling. By substituting egg noodles and watching your portions, you’ll be able to say goodbye to that bloated feeling and hello all of those great italian flavors you love. Add this irresistible recipe to your repertoire and let us know what you think! Happy eating

Photo Credit: The Melted Spatula

• 1 1/2 lb. Ground beef
• 1 Clove garlic, diced
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 2 15 oz. Cans tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 8 oz. Package medium egg noodles (4 cups)
• 5 Green onions, diced
• 8 oz. Package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Basil
• 1 tsp. Oregano
• 2 tsp. Parsley flakes
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Sour cream

1. Brown the onions, meat and garlic and drain off the fat
2. Add tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and spices
3. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes
4. Cook noodles
5. Blend softened cream cheese, cheddar and sour cream
6. Lightly grease 9×13 pan
7. Layer noodles, sauce and meat, cheese mixture (repeat)
8. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
9. Bake on 350* uncovered for 30 minutes, then 400* for 10 minutes.