Veggie Lasagna (that doesn't suck)
Not all lasagnas are created equal. This we know to be true. And for me, usually when I see the word "veggie" in front of a recipe, I head for the hills. This recipe, however, is one that I turn to again and again. It ticks all the rich, sloppy, comfort-food, cheese-filled boxes, but leaves you feeling a little less like you've just swallowed a grease-filled brick after eating it. Plus, it's very adaptable - feel free to substitute any ingredients (cheeses, sauces, vegetables, spices) as you see fit. To sum up, let's just say that this is a dish that my meat-loving, former Marine husband loves. Even though it's vegetarian. How's that for an endorsement?
INGREDIENTS
-12 lasagna noodles
-32 oz ricotta
-3 cups shredded mozzarella (or mixed cheeses)
-1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano (or, again, whatever hard cheese you have laying around)
-1 jar tomato sauce (or equal amount of homemade tomato sauce. If you have patience to make homemade tomato sauce. Which I generally don't.)
-2 eggs
-1 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
- 10oz mushrooms sliced (any type you like - I usually use button)
-1 medium onion, chopped fairly fine
-2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
-olive oil
-dried oregano to taste
-dried basil to taste
-dried parsley to taste
-salt to taste
-pepper to taste
METHOD
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
-In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until onion has softened
-Add mushrooms and cook until most of their liquid has evaporated
-Add tomato sauce to vegetable mixture and let simmer for 5 minutes
-Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, eggs, half of the parmigiano, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper
-To assemble lasagna, place 4 uncooked lasagna noodles on the bottom of a fairly deep baking dish. Put a layer of zucchini slices on top of the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the mushroom mixture. Top with ricotta mixture, and repeat same sequence until all ingredients have been used up, ending with a final layer of noodles. Spread remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and other half of parmigiano on the top noodles.
-Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until browned on top.
-Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.