Vegetable Lasagna

I love vegetable lasagna! It's a little lighter than regular lasagna and has tons more flavor. I've tried several times to make vegetable lasagna with zucchini and squash as the noodles and it's never really turned out that well so this is my compromise!

I use zucchini and squash as two of the layers in this vegetable lasagna, but I still use lasagna noodles to help soak up some of the extra moisture and add more stability. :D

Please note that I had a brain fart and assembled double of some of the ingredients for this photo. I was rushing. I dunno.

Lasagna Ingredients:

• tomato sauce or canned tomatoes for making sauce - at least 4-6 cups
• one box no boil lasagna noodles
• one zucchini
• one yellow squash
• one jalapeno (or bell pepper!)
• 1/2 an onion
• 15 oz container ricotta cheese
• 16 oz mozzarella
• 1/2-1 cup parmesan
• Italian seasoning
• crushed red pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

• one 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• couple tablespoons tomato paste
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• pinch of oregano
• pinch of basil

You don't have to stick with the veggies I used, either! You can add mushrooms, greens, more onions, etc.

Also, I really really recommend the no boil lasagna noodles. I was at one point a total snob about it and would never buy them, but they're actually pretty great! I like that it's less work for me while assembling, and they stay nice and firm while cooking, too. :D

To prep the veg, cut them into small pieces and saute them with some olive oil in a pan. Add a good pinch of salt over them - this will help them release some of their moisture which is important for successful vegetable lasagna!

To make the sauce, cook diced onion in olive oil til soft, and then add the ground beef, garlic, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir until really fragrant and then meat starts to brown and break up, and then add in the crushed tomatoes. Pour some water into the tomato can and swish it around and then pour that into the pot. Stir well and let simmer while the veg continue to lose moisture. It needs only about 10 minutes to simmer, really.

Spoon your ricotta into a bowl and add a good pinch of Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. I like to add a little black pepper too. Mix around until well combined.

Shred your mozzarella or cut into small slices.

This is the way I layered:

1. spoonful of sauce on the bottom of the pan
2. lasagna noodles
3. 1/2 the ricotta cheese
4. 1/2 the sauteed vegetables
5. mozzarella cheese
6. sauce to cover

Do that twice and then sprinkle parmesan cheese on the top. :D

Bake in a 400 F oven for 30-40 minutes or until you can easily pierce through the noodles with a knife and the top is lightly browned.

Try not to eat it all at once. The boy and I have eaten 1/2 of it, and it's only been a day since I made it. :D