EASY CHEESE LASAGNA

When you're just really hungry for the gooey richness of pasta with cheese but you're trying to watch your weight, I recommend this lasagna recipe. It uses low fat ingredients and lots of vegetables and it really is healthy. I use mushrooms and red bell peppers but any vegetables will do. You'd never know this lasagna contains no meat.

Equally important to me is that the recipe is easy and really fast. There's no need to cook the lasagna noodles first; they steam in the tomato sauce, and the cheese comes right out of the package. Try this. I promise you'll like it. You'll know at the same time you're satisfying that craving for lasagna that you're also eating something healthy.

A WEIGHT WATCHER'S EASY CHEESE LASAGNA

serves 6

1 jar (28-oz) spaghetti sauce (as plain or as fancy as you like)

6 uncooked lasagna noodles (the kind that need no cooking)

1 container (15-oz) fat-free ricotta cheese

1-2 C sliced or chopped raw vegetables, such as mushrooms, broccoli and bell pepper

1 package (6-oz) shredded low-fat mozzarealla cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 11x7 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the dish and arrange 3 noodles in a single layer over the sauce. Top with another 1/3 of the sauce, all of the ricotta cheese and vegetables and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, then remaining noodles in a single layer. Spread evenly with remaining sauce.

3. Cover dish with foil and bake until noodles are tender and the mixture is piping hot, about 1 hour. Remove  dish from the oven, remove the foil and sprinkle the top with the remaininig mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes longer. Allow the lasagna to stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Note: in Weight Watcher's terminology, this lasagna is only 6 points per serving.