Ingredients
| Roma tomatoes or 2 c. low-sodium marinara sauce |
| 1 Tbsp. olive oil |
| 1 Tbsp. minced garlic |
| 2 tsp. dried oregano |
| 1 tsp. dried sage |
| 1 tsp. ground dried rosemary |
| 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef |
| Sea salt and black pepper |
| 1 c. low-fat ricotta cheese |
| 1 egg white, lightly beaten |
| Olive oil spray or cooking spray |
| 2 large sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into ⅛-inch slices |
| 1 c. shredded reduced-fat mozzarella |
| Fresh basil and sliced green onion for garnish |
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to broil. Place tomatoes on parchment-lined baking sheet, and broil until outsides are browned and blistered, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Set oven to 400°F. To a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes to flavor the oil, being careful not to burn garlic.
3. Add oregano, sage and rosemary; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add beef to skillet and cook, breaking it up as you do, until nearly all meat is brown, about 5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes to skillet and gently mash to create tomato sauce. Stir sauce in with meat and break up meat with spatula until no large chunks remain.
6. Remove from the heat, and allow sauce to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. In bowl, whisk together ricotta and egg white. Spray a cast-iron skillet or 9×13-inch casserole dish with olive oil spray, then add enough slices of sweet potato to cover bottom in a single layer.
8. Add one third of meat sauce to make one layer, then top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat, using rest of ricotta. Top with remaining sweet potato slices, then a final layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle dish with mozzarella.
9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the sweet potato slices are soft and the flavors of the layers have melded, about 50 minutes. Remove foil for the final 5 minutes of baking so cheese browns slightly. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Serves 6.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 340; Fat: 21g; Cholesterol: 75mg; Sodium: 710mg; Total Carbohydrates: 14g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugars: 5g; Protein: 25g.
Read Kevin’s inspiring story from the May 2019 issue of Guideposts!
Reprinted from Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men and Women—Always #HealthyAF, Never Boring. Copyright © 2018 by Fit Men Cook, LLC. Photograph Copyright © 2018 BY Kevin Marple. Published by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
