Meatless Monday #3 Vegetarian Lasagna

Hi! Welcome to my blog and thanks for joining me for my third Meatless Monday meal. This week, I thought I would make an Italian classic, but when I did some research, I discovered that Ancient Greeks were responsible for making this pasta out of long strips of dough they called, "laganon. Fast forward, several more centuries and Italy claims they perfected the delicious layers of meat, vegetables with these long pasta strips. To complicate the origin of this dish further  however, the first cookbook with a lasagna recipe was found in Britain in 1390.

So wherever this recipe originated, I'm sure over the centuries each country contributed their own flair to the dish and while I used to stick to a classic meat lasagna recipe, in the last 10 years my family has enjoyed my vegetarian twist. Maybe that is how in this day and age, we are re-shaping the classic lasagna. As we contemplate eating less meat for many reasons, health, environment, ethical treatment of animals, I personally find this recipe more delicious than my old meat version, as the vast array of vegetables contributes to a layer of delectable flavours.

This is also a meal that can be prepared in advance and frozen if you wish for a small gathering or a large. Or better yet, make one to eat now and one to freeze.

Join me out in my garden where I have to dash to pick some tomatoes, some carrots and basil and oregano.

While this isn't my large Roma (Viva Italia) tomatoes, which are perfect for this dish, it's a picture of my cute Juliets...definitely needed in any tomato garden

This year, I planted carrots all over my garden, wherever I had a spot 'cause you can never have too many carrots. They get even sweeter with the crisp fall days and are delicious fresh from the garden

Go outside and our girls are ALWAYS wanting to get in a photo shot...here's Cocoa cruising in the kale

Are you ready to cook with me today? Okay, let's go inside.

 Find your cutting board and a sharp knife because the biggest part of making this dish is in chopping of vegetables. Here we go.....

Homemade Hearty Vegetarian Lasagna

 Ingredients

Lasagna Dry Noodles (I prefer whole wheat for the higher fiber content) I'm using a large Lasagna pan and I cook 14 noodles (I use 12 for the dish, 6 on each layer, but always cook a few extra...great for dipping in the sauce, yum)
1/2 tsp salt  
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion chopped finely
3 garlic cloves
1 small green pepper
1-1/2 cups of  sliced carrots
1 cups of sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups of sliced zucchini
5-6 large tomatoes cut into quarters (if you don't use fresh tomatoes, you can add another jar of sauce)
1 large jar of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil and oregano or 1-2 tbsp of dried herbs
4 cups of lightly packed fresh spinach or 2 packages of frozen spinach
454 grams of  partly skimmed Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 -3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (add more if you want a really cheesy top

Directions

1. Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water for 7 to 9 minutes. Drain water and rinse with cold water, drain again and set aside.

2. In a large pot, saute onions, garlic and green peppers in olive oil. Cook several minutes. Add carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook several minutes allowing vegetables to soften. vegetables are soft. 

 


3. Add fresh chopped herbs to the vegetables, then add the jar of sauce stirring and cooking for several more minutes. If you are wanting a rich taste, you can also add some dried oregano and basil. When I cook this in the summer when I have fresh herbs, I use fresh AND dried herbs. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, the Parmesan cheese, the eggs and the spinach.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

6. Now layer 1/2 of the tomato/vegetable sauce in the bottom of your pan...most people use a 
13x9...but mine is a bit larger

7. Lay 1/2 of the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.

You need two eggs for the ricotta/spinach layer...here is Victoria with our new egg basket, which we had to start using since the girls like to collect the eggs and bring them in IN their hands...but earlier today we had a slip up and lost two eggs, ooops! hence our new egg basket

8. Lay the ricotta cheese/spinach/egg/Parmesan mixture on top of the lasagna noodles

9. Lay the other half of the lasagna noodles on top of the ricotta cheese/spinach mixture

10. Now spread the 2nd half of the tomato/vegetable sauce on top and finally layer this with all the mozzarella cheese.....if you want a lot of cheese use 3 cups but I found 2 full cups enough and then I sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on top

11. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. I place some tin foil on top to keep it hot.....and allowing it to sit helps it to firm up when you are serving the pieces.

Note: If you want  the sauce to be hearty...you can use even more vegetables than the above....I know when we have served this to some of my children's friends, they have not appreciated the mushrooms but they really do help to make the sauce thicker and heartier. 

Sorry for the glare...the rear of our house faces south and on a nice day, at 6ish the sun shines right into the back of our house...lovely but not great for pics

The little kids love lasagna

We are missing Alyssa and Harrison tonight. Alyssa has agreed to do some childcare/house sitting for our neighbours who are gone for a week, and Harry is at his part time job....Lasagna warms up really well and is better on day 2

And you know what seems to go really well with lasagna?...Carrot Cake. Have you tried my recipe?...well it's actually my sister C's recipe, which is awesome and we have tweaked over the years. Try it and see what you think.

And I think our cat Ryuuki must have known it was Meatless Monday, 'cause as soon as our son Clark got up to go and get something from the kitchen, our sweet little guy jumped up into his seat and settled in, soaking in the rays from the sun. When Clark came back, he let him hang and he pulled up another chair. Our pets remind us to go where there is love and FOOD.

Are you still on the fence regarding choosing a vegetarian lifestyle? If so, check out Graham Hill's TED talk video, "Why I'm a weekday vegetarian." Any steps we can take in the direction of choosing meatless meals, helps our planet earth. (if you are unable to see the link below, click on the hyper-link above)

Well, thanks for joining me and my family today and I hope this lasagna recipe inspires you to choose it as another vegetarian meal for your repertoire.

 Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful

Blessings from Hope