Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients:

4 tsp olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 c Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 T tomato paste
1 t Oregano (or mixed Italian herbs)
1 t Dried Basil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls baby spinach salad leaves, roughly chopped
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c Mozarella Cheese, Shredded
1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 - 30 oz tub Ricotta Cheese
1.5 - 12 oz pkg Oven Ready (No Cook) Lasagna Noodles


Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
 
2. Make red sauce:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté garlic for 1 minute, followed by onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini and squash. Gently sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano or herbs and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach. Add 2/3 cup water to sauce.

3. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of paremesan cheese, eggs, and basil.  Mix well.
   
4. In a 9"x13"x3" pan, spread 2 cups of meat sauce.  Place 4 sheets of Lasagna over sauce.  DO NOT BOIL NOODLES.  Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over Lasagna.  Top with 1/3 of meat sauce (In my case, this was 2c, 2c, 2c).
 
5. Repeat Layering once.
 
6. Top with 4 sheets of Lasagna then remaining sauce.
 
7. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
 
8. Wrap the lasagna tightly with a double layer of foil.
 
9. Bake at 375F for 55 to 60 minutes or until the lasagna is fork tender.
 
10. Let stand for 10 minutes sealed in foil before cutting and serving.






Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I made this for my bunco group since it fell on Ash Wednesday (no meat!).  I was originally planning to make regular meat lasagna!! (http://hotmamacookbook.blogspot.com/2016/01/lasagna.html)

Instead, my friend Sara sent me the below veggie lasagna recipe.  I looked online for a veggie lasagna, and there were so many choices!  Sara said her recipe was good, so I went with that.  That way I didn't have to pour through a bunch of online recipes.  :)

I looked at the veggie recipe, and I thought it odd that there were no eggs.  I was worried it wouldn't be cohesive enough, so I decided to take the ricotta layer from my regular lasagna (http://hotmamacookbook.blogspot.com/2016/01/lasagna.html), and switch this recipe's ricotta layer to match that.  I also added 2/3 c of water to the sauce, and cooked the the lasagna for 60 minutes covered, as in my original meat lasagna recipe.

There is a LOT of chopping for this recipe, but it did turn out well.  I liked it, and my friends seemed to like it, as well.  I added the same amount and type of cheese from the original lasagna recipe, as well.  More cheese is better, right???? :D  

Since the veggie lasagna recipe said it only served 8 people, and I had 12 for bunco, I decided to double the recipe.  I doubled all the veggies except the yellow squash and onion.  I also did not double the crushed tomatoes, but I did double the tomato paste.  And I added the 1t of dried basil to the ricotta layer, as well. I used my pampered chef stoneware 13x9x2" pan.  It is actually larger than a standard 13x9x2 pan.

I served this lasagna with homemade garlic bread and a mixed salad of spring greens and spinach (with toppings of hard boiled egg, mushrooms, broccoli, cheddar cheese, cucumber dill or ranch dressing).  I liked the lasagna.  I may make it again if I can get motivated to chop all those veggies.  My Mom mentioned I could use frozen veggies, but I don't roll that way!!  A tasty treat! :)



Original Recipe (From Sara B.):

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp oregano or mixed Italian herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls baby spinach salad leaves, roughly chopped
1 15-ounce tub fat-free or low fat ricotta
8-ounces no-cook lasagna noodles
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and coat an 11 X 7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté garlic for 1 minute, followed by onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini and squash. Gently sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach. 

Spread a cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with noodles, followed by half the ricotta cheese; add another layer of sauce, followed by noodles and remaining ricotta cheese. Continue with remaining noodles and sauce, ending with sauce. Top with mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 8. 

Per Serving: Calories 303, Calories from Fat 37, Total Fat 4.1g (sat 1.5g), Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 461mg, Carbohydrate 50.6g, Fiber 4.6g, Protein 15.8g