Veggie Lasagna

I was racking my brain for what to have for dinner one night when I remembered a veggie lasagna recipe that my sister-in-law sent me a while back, but I had not tried.  She had made this for us a couple of times and it was always good!  It was filling and satisfying even though it only contained eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and onion.

I’ve made this twice now and both times, it turned out well.  My only complaint about this recipe is the amount of dicing that needs to be done.  It takes me a good 30 minutes to chop all the ingredients.  Maybe I’m just slow, but I dislike prepping this dish almost as much as I dislike prepping African chicken.

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

Recipes:

Veggie lasagna

• 12 pieces lasagna noodles
• 1 medium onion (or 2 small), diced
• 2 zucchinis, diced
• 2 regular sized eggplants, diced (or 4 long ones)
• 2 cups mushrooms, diced
• 1 1/2 jars pasta sauce (tomato based/marinara)
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
• black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In large pot of boiling water, cook lasagna noodles for 10-12 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
3. In large skillet, heat oil on med/high heat.
4. Saute onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant until soft (~10-15 minutes).  Sprinkle with black pepper but no salt, which will cause the mixture to become too watery.
5. In another pot, heat up pasta sauce.  Leave to simmer as veggies cook.
6. In a 9×13 inch baking/casserole dish, spread a thin layer of pasta sauce.  Layer 4 pieces of lasagna noodles on top.  Add a scoopful of veggies (spread evenly over noodles), handful of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Add another layer of pasta sauce.
7. Top with 4 more pieces of lasagna noodles.  Add another scoopful of veggies, handful of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Top with more pasta sauce.
8. Add the final 4 pieces of lasagna noodles, veggies and pasta sauce.
9. Top the whole thing off with all the leftover cheese.
10. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.

Garlic bread (from Simple Recipes):

• 1 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread or French bread
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 heaping tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut the bread in half, horizontally.
3. Mix the butter, garlic and parsley together in a small bowl.
4. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves.
5. Place on a sturdy baking pan (one that can handle high temperatures, not a cookie sheet) and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Remove pan from oven.
7. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread if you want.
8. Return to oven on the highest rack.
9. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese (if using) bubbles.   Watch very carefully while broiling.  The bread can easily go from un-toasted to burnt.
10. Remove from oven, let cool a minute.
11. Remove from pan and make 1-inch thick slices.
12. Serve immediately.

Notes and Tips:

Make this dish healthier by using “smart” pasta noodle.  Both times, I used the Kraft 4 cheese Italiano (Light) instead of buying mozzarella and parmesan cheese separately.  I also added some minced garlic when sauteing the veggies.

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