I've made vegetable lasagnas before, and they're always really yummy and comforting. This is a great way to get extra veggies in your diet without missing the meat. This takes a bit of time to prepare but once the lasagna is layered it just sits in the oven for a while. A perfect meal while I'm sitting at home doing work on a Saturday. :)
You could swap out other veggies if you wanted... or make it more cheesy. Since we're trying to be healthy (and since spring break is next week... eek!) I opted to go lighter on the cheese and heavier on the veggies. And it was delicious.
I really like the "oven-ready" lasagna noodles I used below. It makes it so much easier when you don't have to boil the noodles before baking. And they just absorb moisture from the surrounding lasagna so they're perfectly tender when it comes out.
We ended up eating 3/8 of this lasagna. I cut it into 8 pieces and I had 1 and Jeremy had two. We started with a salad to get a few more veggies (as if there weren't enough in the lasagna already!). Overall a very delicious meal that we will both enjoy for the next couple of days as well. :)
Recipe:
1 package, barilla oven-ready lasagna noodles (you could use regular lasagna noodles but you'd need to boil them first)
2 1/2 c. fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 15 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1 eggplant (mine was about .8 lbs.), sliced thinly and roasted (see note below)
2 large onions, sliced thinly and caramelized (see note below)
1 15 oz. container of fat-free ricotta cheese
7 oz. fat-free mozzarella
1/4 c. plus 2 tbs. of grated parmesan cheese, divided
3 c. pasta sauce (I had Bertolli's tomato basil)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 2 tbs. of the parmesan.
3. In a 9"x13" casserole dish (or lasagna pan), spread 2/3 c. of the pasta sauce. Top with four lasagna noodles. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture. (Smooth the cheese so that it is even across the top of the noodles, I just use my hands... it spreads easier.) Top with half of the eggplant, 1/2 of the spinach leaves, 1/2 of the diced red peppers, and 1/2 of the caramelized onions. Layer another four lasagna noodles. Top with 2/3 c. of the pasta sauce and another 1/3 of the cheese mixture (again, smoothing it out). Top with the other 1/2 of the eggplant and the other 1/2 of the caramelized onions. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with another 2/3 c. of sauce and the remaining ricotta mixture. Top with the remaining spinach and roasted red peppers. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles. Pour any remaining sauce over the top of the noodles. Evenly sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan over the top.
4. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is slightly brown on top.
5. Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
* I cooked the eggplant and onions before I started putting the lasagna together so that I would have all the ingredients cool before going into the pan.
Eggplant: after thinly slicing into 1/4" slices, I laid them flat on a baking sheet and drizzled them with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. I roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through. The eggplant was done when it was tender and slightly browned on both sides.
Onions: I sliced both onions into thin rings (about 1/2 an inch) using a mandoline. Then I cooked them on medium low with 1 tbs. of olive oil for about an hour. At the end I added 1 tbs. of balsamic vinegar for some added zip.
Once the eggplant and onions were cooked I just set them aside until I was ready to construct the lasagna.
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