My stepmom prepared this for my Dad’s birthday dinner. Fortunately for me she is a recipe sharer, because it is now one of my favorites! This recipe requires more prep time than most recipes in my repertoire, but it is definitely worth it. 45 minutes elapsed from the time I started chopping vegetables until I put the lasagna in the oven, but I had lots of help from my toddler, so you may be able to assemble everything in less time. Quite a few dishes are dirtied in the process, as well. If you are going to serve this to company, I recommend assembling it earlier in the day and putting it into the oven 45 minutes before you would like to serve dinner
Vegetable Lasagna
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles I used rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 small zucchini thinly sliced
- 1 head broccoli finely chopped
- 2 carrots julienned
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or 1/4 - 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese divided
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 8 ounces small curd cottage cheese
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 4 –5 roma tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil shredded
- 3 - 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add zucchini. Add a dash of oregano, basil, garlic powder and pepper. Sauté for 5 –7 minutes. Place zucchini in a dish, but do not rinse out the pan.
- Reheat the remaining oil in the large skillet adding a little more if necessary. When oil is hot add broccoli, carrots, onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Add the oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 6 - 8 minutes; set aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour (or cornstarch) then gradually whisk in milk until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and add a dash or two of pepper. cook for 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Reserve 1/2 cup spinach mixture for the topping.
- In a small bowl combine cottage and ricotta cheeses; stir well.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9 x 13 pan with a light coat of oil.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of spinach mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, zucchini, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, vegetables, spinach mixture, and end with another layer of noodles. Top with reserved spinach mixture, a layer of tomatoes, basil, 1 - 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving.
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Cate says
Oh, that looks delicious! Must try!
Struggler says
I adore lasagna, of any variety. I usually find the added prep time is worth it, for the result and the leftovers!
mrs green @ myzerowaste.com says
that looks amazing; well worth the extra effort and time – thanks for sharing the recipe
Adoption of Jane says
that looks yummmmmmy!
Sheila says
That looks so good. I know it will be a winner in our house. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Melissa says
That does look wonderful! I've tried to sneak small amounts of veggies into lasagna, but I haven't tried a recipe like this. Sounds great to me!
Happier Than a Pig in Mud says
This looks great! I love that it's made with a white sauce too!
Shana says
Oh my gosh. YUMMY! That looks so good. I will definitely have to try it. Thank you for the recipe.