Vegetable Lasagna

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I got a call from my sister the other day, and she told me that my mom had tripped 

over a hose, and fallen face first on a cement sidewalk. Thank the Lord 

she is ok, no broken bones, which I definitely believe was a God thing, but did 

get some ugly bruises on her forehead, cheek, and a massive black eye.

Needless to say, she didn't feel like getting out of the house so, Leah, my sister, 

did her shopping and I made this Vegetable Lasagna to take out to her. 

This is mom. I think she's beautiful!

She called later and told me it was delicious and that they really enjoyed it. 

I've made one quite similar to this before, and it really is tasty. Not as heavy as the ones 

with meat, although they do hit the spot at times.

I start with a quick saute of the mushrooms so they don't make the lasagna watery.

Use the same pan to saute the onion, pepper and garlic.

Simmer the sauce uncovered so it has a chance to thicken up some. 

I think I ended up with about 3/4 cup of leftover sauce. Throw it on some 

cooked pasta and you'll have a quick and tasty lunch.

I don't bother cooking my pasta anymore. It's just one less step and makes clean up 

so much easier. I don't even buy the oven ready pasta, 

just the regular. Sitting in the hot water for the amount of time it takes to get the 

other ingredients ready starts to soften the noodles and the bake in the oven does the rest. 

It turns out with great texture. 

First layer done. Next comes a layer of sauce and more noodles.

Make sure the last layer of sauce covers the entire top, no pasta showing or it will turn out hard. 

Ready to throw in the oven.

Done deal. If you ask me, it looks good enough to eat. 

In fact, I'm gonna be making this again soon, so I can have some.

Linked with Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friday.

Vegetable Lasagna

10 lasagna noodles

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 lb portabello mushrooms, gills removed and sliced

1/3 cup onion, minced

1/3 cup red pepper, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired

1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2 6 oz cans of water

Salt and pepper

1 medium squash, sliced thin

8 oz cottage cheese, 4% fat

12 oz skim milk ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

8 oz part-skim mozzarella, grated

Parmesan or Manchego cheese, grated

Cover lasagna noodles with boiling water and set aside. I used the same dish I cooked the lasagna in, just dry it out before you use it.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to a heated skillet; add mushrooms, a dash of salt and pepper, and sauté 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms give up some of their liquid. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and sauté onions, red peppers, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and a dash of salt and pepper until the vegetables start to soften. Add 3 cloves of garlic and sauté 2 minutes more.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine and simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a medium size bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1 beaten egg, dash of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.

Spray a 7x11 baking dish with oil and spoon a layer of sauce in the bottom. Lay on 3 lasagna noodles to cover bottom. (I cooked 1 extra noodle and cut into 9 small pieces, because the noodles were just about an inch too short.) Next spread on 1/2 the ricotta mixture, a layer of 1/2 of the squash and 1/2 of the mushrooms, sprinkle on 3oz. of the mozzarella cheese, then a layer of sauce and 3 more noodles. Repeat these steps again ending with a layer of sauce and the remaining 2 oz. of mozzarella. Top with a thin layer of parmesan or manchego cheese. I had both so I used a little of each. I also sprinkled on a little more Italian seasoning.

Bake in a preheated 375* oven for 25-30 minutes. I place a baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drips.