Vegetarian Lasagna

When the weather starts to get cooler, I lean more towards warm, hearty dishes like this vegetarian lasagna. As a vegetarian, I am always looking for ways to up the protein content of my recipes. This recipe uses lentil-based lasagna noodles and a variety of vegetables - zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms.

If you like your lasagna with a spicy kick, I recommend adding a few extra pinches of red pepper flakes. If you’re vegan and want to skip the ricotta and shredded cheeses, you could try making a tofu ricotta and omit the shredded mozzarella and parmesan. If you’d like to add even more vegetables to this, I’d recommend adding in some raw spinach. There are so many modifications you could make with this recipe, but I think it’s absolutely perfect as is!

Ingredients

1 package lentil lasagna noodles (I use Whole Foods brand yellow lentil & brown rice no-boil lasagna noodles)

1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil

1 zucchini, diced

1 cup baby bella mushrooms, diced

1 small eggplant, diced

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1 cup ricotta cheese or 4% cottage cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Dice the zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms into small pieces. Add about a tablespoon of oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, then add in the diced vegetables. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes, then add in the garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes to the vegetable mixture, and turn the heat down to a simmer (medium-low/low heat). Add in the dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil (if using). Allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes.

4. While the sauce is simmering, lightly coat a 9x13 baking pan with olive oil. Take a large spoonful of the sauce mixture and spread a very thin layer evenly into the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top of the thin layer of sauce. Then spread half of the ricotta or cottage cheese on top of the lasagna noodles, followed by half of the vegetable sauce mixture, then half of the shredded mozzarella and parmesan.

5. Repeat those layers a second time through, starting first with another layer of the lasagna noodles, the other half of the ricotta or cottage cheese, the rest of the vegetable sauce, and the rest of the shredded cheeses on top. Place uncovered in oven and bake on 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cheese should be lightly browned on top. Remove the lasagna from oven and let it cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts (if divided into 5 servings):

Calories: 350 Carbohydrates: 28 grams Fiber: 6 grams Fat: 16 grams Protein: 25 grams