Friday, February 7, 2014

Vegetarian Lasagna

Was a TOTAL hit! If you make it, I hope you like it!

Lukas Totally Rad Totally Vegetarian Noodle Free lasagna!
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
3-4 cups of Vegetables of your choice, chopped
--I used Onion, Red and Green Bell Peppers, Carrots, Celery, and mushrooms
1 can of diced tomatos
1 spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded (if you need the recipe for this, let me know)
Olive Oil
1 c Fat Free Ricotta
1 c Fat Free Cottage Cheese
½ c Shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese (finely shredded allows more even distribution)
2 eggs
Italian herbs (optional, to taste)
Salt/pepper/garlic powder (to taste)

Beat eggs and mix in ricotta, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese until blended. Set aside in fridge.

Cook your spaghetti squash, and then shred. Place in a strainer over sink or bowl to allow excess water to drain out. You can also put on a layer of paper towels on a plate. You might also want to gently squeeze any excess water out before adding to the dish

In large skillet, sauté your vegetables (except squash) with olive oil and a pinch of salt until tender. Make sure to cook out as much liquid as possible. I had about 3 cups of vegetables total going in. Once cooked to your desired consistency, add the can of tomatoes, jar of pasta sauce, garlic powder and Italian herbs if using. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce heat and let cook until flavors meld.

Allow sauce to cool slightly, and then begin the lasagna assembly process. I used an 8x8 glass Pyrex dish.

Spray lightly with Pam. Layer from the bottom: Sauce, thin layer of mozzarella, egg/cheese mixture, spaghetti squash, more sauce (I added the top layer of mozzarella 15 minutes before I took out of teh oven to keep it from getting too browned).  This pretty much came up to the top of the dish. I placed on a baking sheet (to catch drips) and baked on 375 for about 1.25 hours (75 minutes). Remove from Oven, and allow toset up for at least an hour, if not longer.

Both friends absolutely LOVED it. And I think it was pretty darn good, too! An 8x8 pan will make 9 perfect portions.  It may get a little watery if you don’t drain the squash enough.

Enjoy!  

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