A Delicious Lasagna With No Meat!?

Okay, be honest...when you read the title were you questioning why in the world I would make lasagna without meat!? Truth be told it is actually from a recipe called spinach lasagna but since I changed some things I decided to rename it meatless lasagna. I'm no vegetarian but I like to have some meatless meal options for my menu and this is a great one. It is so good that I promise you won't even miss the meat, yes even you devout meat eaters. Seriously, even my Dad who is a rather picky eater cleaned his plate the first time I made it!

I created this recipe from a few different sources and added some of my own twists to it as well. The main recipe is from www.kraft.com but as with most Kraft recipes that I have used, it needed some tweaks. One more thing before we get to the recipe...Please do not forget to cover with foil before baking, this is one of the most important steps to getting your lasagna to turn out well. Failing to do so will result in a dry and not so appealing lasagna...not that I would know from experience or anything *wink*.

Meatless Lasagna 

click here for a printable version of this recipe  

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Ingredients 

• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 1 (16 oz) container of cottage cheese OR ricotta cheese, depending on your preference
• I recommend using a thicker cottage cheese such as Daisy or Breakstone brand
• 1 (10 oz) package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained 
• To drain thawed spinach, place in a colander to allow most of the water to drain. Then, using a paper towel, squeeze the spinach of any excess water.
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• Use low fat cheese for a healthier option
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping 
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley 
• 2 cloves minced garlic, or 1 teaspoon minced garlic from a jar 
• 1 small onion, finely chopped 
• olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a medium sauce pan 
• 1 (24 oz) jar of garden vegetable spaghetti sauce 
• Any spaghetti sauce will work but I like the addition of the extra veggies. You could also add fresh chopped veggies to a plain sauce. Some good veggie options would be red or green peppers, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini or other squash.
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
• 9 oven ready lasagna noodles, or regular noodles cooked

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. 
2. In a medium sized bowl; combine eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and parsley, set aside. 
3. Coat the bottom of a medium sauce pan with olive oil, allow to heat at medium temperature for a few minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
4. Pour spaghetti sauce into sauce pan then add basil and oregano. Cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors then turn off the heat. 
5. In a 13x9 inch baking dish; pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan and spread to cover. Place three noodles on top of the sauce to create the bottom layer then spread half of the cottage cheese mixture on the noodles. Layer one more cup of spaghetti sauce on top of the cheese layer, then add three more noodles and the rest of the cottage cheese mixture. For the top layer, place the remaining three noodles on the second cheese layer, add the rest of the sauce then sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and enough parmesan to lightly coat the top.
6. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

The result is a gooey, cheesy delicious and (almost) guilt free lasagna! Want to make your own!? You will see a link under the name for a printable version which will take you to a more simplified version of my above recipe. Click, print, make and enjoy!

Joyfully,
          Ashley :-)  

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