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Vegetarian Lasagna from Marsha

Source of Recipe

by Marsha, adapted from "The Southern Living Complete Do-Ahead Cookbook"


List of Ingredients

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups coarsely grated or thinly sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup roasted bell pepper, chopped
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried crumbled oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil
15-1/2-ounce jar commercial spaghetti sauce
6-ounce can tomato paste
6 lasagna noodles, cooked
10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
2 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese




Recipe

• Saute mushrooms, carrots and onion in butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until tender; drain. Stir in chopped roasted bell pepper and set aside.

• Combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano and basil; stir well and set aside.

• Combine spaghetti sauce and tomato paste; stir well. Spread half of spaghetti sauce mixture in a 13-by-9-inch greased glass baking dish. Arrange 3 cooked lasagna noodles over sauce. Spread half of vegetable mixture over noodles. Spoon half of cottage cheese mixture over vegetables. Arrange 3 remaining lasagna noodles over cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining sauce, vegetable and cottage cheese mixtures.

• Sprinkle chopped tomato over top of casserole.

• At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking, or you can immediately bake the lasagna.

• To bake, spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and tightly cover the top of the dish with the coated side down. Bake it covered at 350 F for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lasagna is thoroughly heated and bubbling on the edges and cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

• Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: Additional vegetables can be used, including thinly sliced zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower. All of these must be sauteed before layering with the pasta, sauce and cheese. If necessary increase the olive oil to 2 tablespoons to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the skillet when being cooked.