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    Where Is My Spoon > Main Dish > Pasta and Rice

    Light Yogurt Lasagna

    Published by: Adina May 28, 2020 · Last modified: January 16, 2023 26 Comments

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    pinterest image of bolognese bake with cheese and beef in a transparent baking dish.

    A light yogurt lasagna with lean ground beef and Greek yogurt, yet nobody will notice that they are not eating the original.

    Jump to Recipe
    light lasagna with yogurt

    Greek Yogurt Lasagna

    This healthy Greek yogurt lasagna is a twist on traditional bolognese. Just as much taste but fewer calories due to the yogurt sauce used instead of the Bechamel sauce. And honestly, nobody ever noticed the difference!

    I've been making traditional bolognese lasagna for years. It tastes great; everybody loves it! The only thing about it is that I mostly ate it with a bad conscience. I mean ground meat, noodles, and bechamel sauce all in one pot. And then I made this recipe.

    We do love any kind of lasagna, and I have quite a few recipes on the blog to prove it!

    Why not try some of our favorite healthier recipes, like the vegetable lasagna with white sauce (yes, this time a real white sauce), Thermomix Lasagne, another vegetarian one with butternut squash and lentils, or try a low-carb zucchini lasagna with no noodles?

    light lasagna bolognese sliced on a plate
    Table of Contents
     [show]
    • Greek Yogurt Lasagna
    • Recipe ingredients
    • How to make it?
      • Meat sauce
      • Yogurt sauce
      • How to assemble?
    • How to serve?
    • More recipes using Greek yogurt

    Recipe ingredients

    To begin with, you will need the typical ingredients needed for a bolognese dish: ground beef, tomatoes, dried herbs, and pasta sheets. Then, untypically, you will need some low-fat Greek yogurt to make the sauce.

    Ground beef:

    • Lean ground beef, which has a maximum of 17% fat.
    • However, if you don't care about that, using regular ground beef is fine.

    Noodles:

    • I always use no-boil lasagna sheets (Amazon affiliate link).

    Yogurt:

    • Low-fat yogurt, a creamy kind like Greek yogurt with 1.8 % fat.

    Cheese:

    • I am usually not into low-fat cheese, I rarely buy it, but for this recipe, I use a low-fat Gouda cheese, about 12% fat.
    • Cheddar cheese can be used instead.
    • Or any other kind of cheese you like to use for this kind of dish.
    • Again, low-fat is not mandatory, only if you are watching the calories; otherwise, use whatever you like.

    beef, cheese, carrots, sauce for lasagna

    How to make it?

    Meat sauce

    • A typical bolognese sauce needs a couple of hours of cooking time. I do that from time to time, but not in the case of this Greek yogurt lasagna. After browning the meat and the vegetables, the meat sauce will only need about 5 minutes of simmering on the stove.
    • Heat the oil and saute the chopped onion, then add garlic and grated carrot. (1)
    • Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking the clumps with a wooden spoon while the meat cooks. (2, 3)
    • Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the canned tomatoes, dried oregano, sweet paprika powder, some salt, and pepper. (4)
    • Simmer for 5 minutes and adjust the taste again.
    frying vegetables, ground meat and making bolognese sauce

    Yogurt sauce

    • Not only that substituting the white sauce with dairy make the dish lighter and healthier, but the substitution also makes cooking quicker and easier.
    • Instead of stirring a white sauce, taking care that it doesn't get clumpy, and then letting it cook for a while, you just have to stir the dairy with some hot stock and ¾ cup of the grated cheese. It doesn't get any easier.
    yogurt sauce for light lasagna

    How to assemble?

    You will need a rectangular casserole dish of about 30x20 cm/12x8 inches.

    • Step 1: 2-3 tablespoons of the meat sauce, just enough sauce to thinly cover the bottom of the dish.
    • Step 2: Pasta sheets
    • Step 3: ⅓ of the meat sauce
    • Step 4: ⅓ of the dairy sauce.
    • Repeat steps 2 + 3 + 4 : pasta sheets + ⅓ meat sauce + ⅓ dairy sauce.
    • Repeat steps 2 + 3 + 4 again: lasagna sheets + ⅓ meat sauce + ⅓ dairy sauce.
    • Step 5: Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
    • Step 6: Bake for about 30 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through, and the cheese is golden brown. Check by inserting a fork in the casserole; the pasta should be soft.
    assemble lasagna step by step

    How to serve?

    Let the Greek yogurt lasagna set in the dish for about 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it. You can cover it loosely with aluminum foil, if you wish, to make sure it doesn't lose too much heat. But I usually don't bother for a few minutes. Slice into squares and serve it with any of the following side dishes:

    • green salad (always my first choice)
    • tomato salad with onions
    • rocket salad
    • sauteed spinach
    • broccoli salad
    • roasted vegetable salad
    • black olives
    • mozzarella and garlic bread
    • herb garlic bread
    casserole dish with yogurt lasagna bolognese

    More recipes using Greek yogurt

    • Egg Salad with Greek Yogurt
    • Greek Yogurt Popsicles
    • Honey Pears with Greek Yogurt
    • Yogurt Bomb with Berries - the best dessert ever!!!
    • Yogurt Dressing
    • Strawberry Yogurt Cheesecake

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!
    slice of greek yogurt lasagna on a white plate.

    Light Yogurt Lasagna

    A lighter yogurt lasagna with lean ground beef and Greek yogurt, yet nobody will notice that they are not eating the original.
    4.59 from 41 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Pasta and Rice
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 523kcal
    Author: Adina
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    Ingredients 

    • Meat sauce:
    • 1 onion
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 2 medium carrots
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1.8 lb lean ground beef
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2 cans chopped tomatoes about 400 g/14 oz each
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
    • Yogurt Sauce:
    • 1 ¼ cups low fat Greek yogurt
    • 1 cup hot stock Note 1
    • Yogurt lasagna:
    • 1 ¾ cups low fat cheese, grated divided, Note 2
    • 12 no-boil lasagna sheets as needed
    • fine sea salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    Meat sauce:

    • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Chop the onion and the garlic cloves finely. Grate the carrots.
    • Saute: Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and the carrots, saute for a couple of minutes more.
    • Cook: Add the ground beef and let it get a bit brown. Break the meat lumps with a wooden spoon while the meat is cooking. Add the tomato paste, stir well and saute for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste and bring everything to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.

    Yogurt sauce:

    • In the meantime, mix the yogurt and the hot stock. Add ¾ cup of the grated cheese to the yogurt mixture and stir well.

    Assemble the yogurt lasagna:

    • First layer: Place 2-3 tablespoons of the meat sauce in a rectangular casserole dish of about 30x20 cm/12x8 inches, just enough sauce to thinly cover the bottom of the dish. Place lasagna sheets on top, add ⅓ of the meat sauce and ⅓ of the yogurt sauce.
      Repeat: lasagna sheets, ⅓ of the meat sauce, ⅓ of the yogurt sauce.
      Repeat: lasagna, rest meat sauce, rest yogurt sauce.
      Cheese: Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese.
    • Bake for about 30 minutes or until the lasagna sheets are cooked through, and the cheese is golden brown. Check by inserting a fork in the casserole; the noodles should be soft.
    • Rest: Let the lasagna sit for 5 to 10 minutes, cut into squares and serve with one or two of the sides suggested above.

    Notes

    1. Made from a ½ vegetable stock cube dissolved in 200 ml/ scant 1 cup hot water.
    2. I used Gouda, but Cheddar is just as fine. Or any other kind of cheese you usually take for lasagna.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 802mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Evi @ greenevi says

      May 25, 2015 at 1:53 pm

      Using greek yogurt is such a great idea! I'm going to make my pumpkin-spinach lasagne next time with greek yogurt, I'm sick of making bechamel 😀

      Reply
    2. Adina says

      May 25, 2015 at 5:51 pm

      I am not keen on bechamel either. And no one noticed that there was something different with the food. I just thought it tasted a bit fresher, which is a good thing. 🙂

      Reply
    3. Kerryn says

      June 08, 2017 at 2:04 pm

      I made this as part of a birthday gift for my daughter-in-law to give her the night off cooking on her day. I'm happy to tell you it was a huge hit. My son said it was better than my regular lasagna and he's always loved it, but this recipe is now the favourite. They have asked me for the recipe. Good one, so thank you very much Adina ?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 08, 2017 at 5:53 pm

        Hi Kerryn. I am so happy to hear this! Thank you. 🙂

        Reply
    4. anya geraldyne says

      July 11, 2017 at 8:15 am

      This lasagna recipe is different from the others. perfect blend.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 19, 2017 at 10:51 am

        Thank you, Anya.

        Reply
    5. Lynn says

      August 05, 2017 at 3:30 pm

      This was delicious! Thank you for the recipe. It tasted great. (I used vegetarian mince instead of meat, but it still tasted great and the meat eaters loved it as well) So fresh tasting, and no more making cheese sauce!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        August 05, 2017 at 8:53 pm

        I am glad to hear it, Lynn. Thank you for the feedback.

        Reply
    6. Lizzie says

      September 28, 2017 at 3:29 pm

      I'm wondering if I can substitute yoghurt for the white sauce in fish pie?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        September 28, 2017 at 4:19 pm

        I can't see why not, I would definitely try it! Let me know if it works, please!

        Reply
        • Laurie says

          January 14, 2020 at 6:45 am

          Thanks for posting this! I stole your yogurt sauce recipe to make “lightened” spaghetti squash lasagna boats. So delicious and much easier than these cheese sauce I have made previously. Great idea!

          Reply
          • Adina says

            January 14, 2020 at 8:54 am

            So happy to hear it, Laurie! Thank you for the feedback.

            Reply
    7. Anne says

      October 22, 2017 at 1:02 pm

      What’s hot broth? (I don’t cook often ??)

      Reply
      • Adina says

        October 22, 2017 at 3:59 pm

        Hi Anne. Broth that you heated up. ?

        Reply
    8. GARY Dunne says

      December 23, 2021 at 4:29 am

      Great recipe will cook t-night i only have full cream Greek yogurt the real stuff not Greek Style Yohgurt will that cook the same as Light Yoghurt that you used in your recipe Kind regards

      Reply
      • Adina says

        December 23, 2021 at 9:08 am

        Full fat yogurt is perfectly ok, Gary. Happy holidays!

        Reply
    9. Ravina says

      June 13, 2022 at 12:33 pm

      5 stars
      Definetly a hit in the house. Especially using natural greek yoghurt! Saved to make again.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 14, 2022 at 7:39 am

        I am so glad you liked it, Ravina. This is a hit in our house as well.

        Reply
    10. Lori says

      July 28, 2022 at 4:57 pm

      Is the yogurt sauce supposed to be liquid in consistency?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 29, 2022 at 2:13 pm

        Hi Lori. Yes, it's thin.

        Reply
    11. rodpurl@gmail.com says

      November 16, 2022 at 7:18 pm

      CUP measures what is uk equivilent

      Reply
      • Adina says

        November 17, 2022 at 8:33 am

        The recipe has a metric version, which is always more accurate. Click on EU in the recipe card.

        Reply
    12. Rhonda says

      November 30, 2022 at 2:33 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe for my boyfriend last night. He couldn't stop raving about how good it was. Thanks so much for this recipe. It was definitely a hit.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        December 01, 2022 at 6:58 am

        Hi Rhonda, so happy to hear it. Thank you for the feedback.

        Reply
    13. Monique says

      December 29, 2022 at 8:54 am

      Hi there. Can you freeze left-overs? Just checking with regards to the yoghurt sauce?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        December 29, 2022 at 10:18 am

        Hi Monique. It should work, everything is already cooked.

        Reply

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