Vegetable Lasagna

I have never been a big fan of meaty lasagna. But I’ve also never been a big fan of red meat. So if you prefer the meaty lasagna, this dish isn’t for you. But I really recommend you try it because it may be the best lasagna that you never knew you loved! With that being said, this is a delicious alternative to the meaty lasagna, with the flavors of the different vegetables adding a new depth to this dish. Feel free to use whichever vegetables sound delicious to you.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large zucchini, sliced

1 onion, diced

1 red, orange, or yellow pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 1/2 cup of white mushrooms, sliced

1 carrot, shredded

3 generous handfuls of spinach

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1/2 tsp of salt + more to taste

1 quart Real Food Central Perfect Pizza Sauce

16 oz fresh mozzarella

15 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

12 lasagna noodles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F or 325 F convection.
2. Add olive oil to a large frying pan and heat to medium high. Add garlic and sautee until fragrant.
3. Add zucchini, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and carrots to pan and sautee until vegetables are soft.
4. While vegetables are cooking, mix ricotta and egg.
5. Bring a medium pot of water to boil.
6. Add spinach and tomatoes and salt to vegetable mix and season vegetables with 1/2 tsp salt and a few dashes of pepper.
7. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on the bottom of 9 x 13″ dish to prevent lasagna from sticking to the pan.
8. Add 4 lasagna noodles to pot of boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
9. Remove noodles from water and line the bottom of the dish.
10. Use 1/3 of ricotta mixture to spread over noodles.
11. Sprinkle 1/3 of parmesan cheese over the ricotta cheese.
12. Spread 1/2 of vegetables over the cheese mixture.
13. Add 1/4 of remaining pizza sauce over vegetables.
14. Use 1/4 of mozzarella and tear into small pieces and spread over pizza sauce.
15. Repeat steps 7-13.
16. Cook the remaining lasagna noodles and layer over the lasagna.
17. Use remaining ricotta, parmesan, and pizza sauce over the noodles, making sure to cover the noodles with the sauce to prevent them from drying out.
18. Sprinkle remainder of cheese over the top of the lasagna.
19. Cover lasagna with tin foil and cook in oven for 25 minutes.
20. Remove tin foil and cook another 5-10 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted but not brown.