Lasagna is a dish that can consume an entire day's worth of calories. For example, the twice-baked lasagna with meatballs at Romano's Macaroni Grill contains 1,360 calories and 80 grams of fat.

BO RADER/Wichita Eagle

But lasagna also can be a healthful dish that helps you reach your daily quota of vegetables.

One word of warning: Not all vegetable lasagnas are nutritious. If it's made with a heavy cream sauce and an abundance of cheese, even the veggie variety isn't diet-friendly.

Fazoli's six-layer lasagna with broccoli comes with 690 calories and 28 fat grams. Alfredo sauce is the culprit. You'd be better off ordering Fazoli's beef lasagna, which has 630 calories and 23 fat grams.

For a healthier vegetable lasagna that keeps the creamy flavor but cuts calories and fat, try this one adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.

Kathy Manweiler, McClatchy Newspapers

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat.

Add broccoli, carrots, onions and garlic and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Set aside.

Place flour in a medium-heavy saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add 1/4 cup of the parmesan, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in spinach. Reserve 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture for top layer of casserole and set aside.

Combine cottage cheese, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses and stir well. Spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture in bottom of a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Arrange 4 lasagna noodles over spinach mixture in dish and top with half of cottage cheese mixture, half of broccoli mixture and half of remaining spinach mixture.

Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread reserved 1/2 cup spinach mixture over noodles and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan. Cover and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 214 Fat 4 g Cholesterol 12 mg Sodium 369 mg Fiber 2 g Carbohydrates 29 g Protein 14 g