Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 12oz container low fat Ricotta cheese
• 1 8oz (or more depending on preference) mozzarella cheese
• 1 16oz jar favorite tomato sauce
• 1 16oz can diced tomatoes (plain or Italian)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli (fresh or frozen/thawed), florets separated
• 1 cup spinach (frozen and thawed, or if using fresh, 2 large handfuls)
• 5-7 baby carrots shredded
• 1 package lasagna noodles
• Olive oil
• salt and cracked pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano, plus 1 tsp
• 1 1/2 tsp basil, plus 1 tsp
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

Instructions

1. Ricotta cheese: in a bowl, empty container of ricotta cheese and add 1 tsp of oregano and basil, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, and cracked pepper. Mix to combine and set aside.
2. Sauce: in a sauce pan over medium/low heat, add olive oil and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, white wine. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Let simmer for 20-30 min on LOW heat (trust me, I had an boil over)
3. In the meantime, boil water salted liberally and add lasagna noodles. Cook until noodles are still very al dente (they will continue cooking in the oven). Drain and rinse in cold water.
4. In a 12 by 18 pan, add a few ladles of tomato sauce (until bottom is coated). Place a layer of lasagna noodles followed by onions and spinach, ricotta mixture (crumble ricotta rather than spreading, it comes out the same and is easier), mozzarella, and tomato sauce. Continue for 2-3 more layers (depending on amount of noodles/sauce/vegetables). On top, cover noodles with sauce, mozzarella cheese and any remaining ricotta cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and sauce is bubbly. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.