I have this friend who’s Italian. I always joke with her that I have no idea what she’s saying when she talks about food. Apparently, everyone in her community cuts the latter half of the word off and expects me to agree that it’s the same word. For example, instead of “prosciutto” (pronounced pro-shoo-toe) it becomes “prosciutt” (pronounced pro-shoot). “Ricotta” (ri-cot-ta) turns into ri-gut.
Every family gathering she has is packed with pasta, sausages, meatballs. So, I started telling her about my veggie lasagna and she told me she wanted to try it. Challenge….Accepted….
I started getting very nervous though as the date of the taste test loomed. I mean—how is a Polish girl who grew up in the bible belt going to get the stamp of approval from an Italian meatlover with a meatless lasagna?!
I’ll show you how…
Yields: 15 pieces
Prep Time: 35 min | Bake Time: 45 min | Total Time: 80 min
Ingredients:
30 oz low fat ricotta (or ri-gut if you prefer)
2 eggs
15 oz spinach, chopped and divided in half
2 cups shredded fat free mozzarella
1 ½ cups shredded parmesan
1 cup basil leaves, torn
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled, then shredded
1 zucchini, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
5 cups marinara sauce
12 ready to bake lasagna noodles
8 mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
1. In medium pan, add 2 tbsp of water and ½ of spinach. Cover and cook on medium until wilted.
2. In medium bowl, mix together ricotta and eggs. Add cooked spinach and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In separate bowl, combine parmesan, mozzarella, and basil. Set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic.
5. Add carrots, zucchini, and red pepper. Cover and cook ~3 minutes. Add broccoli, mushrooms, and rest of spinach and cook covered an additional 3-5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over bottom of 9 X 13 in casserole dish. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Followed by a layer of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese mixture over vegetable layer. Repeat with additional layers, ending with noodles on top. Pour any remaining sauce over top of noodle layer. Reserve a bit of the shredded cheese mixture to sprinkle at the end.
8. Cover top of dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes
9. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining shredded cheese over top. Continue to bake uncovered an additional 15 minutes.
10. Let cool 10 minutes prior to serving.
The Cook’s 2 cents:
· You can substitute frozen spinach for fresh, but make sure it’s drained all the way once it’s thawed. Spinach retains a lot of water.
· If you’re using my marinara sauce recipe, I’d add a jar of storebought sauce to it. The lasagna really sucks up the sauce. (and who wants dry lasagna?)
Oh, I forgot to tell you… I DID get the Italian stamp of approval on this recipe from my friend. Two thumbs up!
Nutrition facts:
Servings per recipe: 15Svg size: 1 piece
Calories: 251 Fat: 8 g Sodium: 558 mg Carbs: 23 g Fiber: 2g Sugars: 2 g Protein: 21 g
