This dish are what dreams are made of…so damn good!
I love a good veggie lasagna that feels abundant with vegetables so that it can feel hearty and nutritious without feeling heavy. This is a great dish to make for so many reasons! One, you can freeze this easily into pieces so that you can have nutritious lunches/dinners on hand. Secondly, this is a great meal to make when hosting because it feeds so many people and doesn’t require too many dishes. Thirdly, this is our family’s go-to dish we make when supporting meal-trains. Have fun customizing and playing with your own lasagna creation because you can do no wrong here!
Ingredients:
~16 oz no boil lasagna noodles
Your favorite tomato sauce. We use Q’s Homemade Sauce. About 16oz—more if you like your lasagna supper saucey.
2 whole portobello mushrooms
2 zucchinis
3-4 cups of spinach
~ 8oz fresh mozzarella (if you like your lasagna cheesier add more!)
16 oz of Ricotta (you can use less if you aren’t into it)
1 egg
8 oz Pesto
Parmigiana (optional for serving)
Prosciutto (optional for topping after baking)
Basil for topping (optional)
Olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Use you intuition on what type of veggie combo you’d like to bite into for your lasagna. Personally, I like the combo of portobellos, zucchini (or yellow squash) and spinach. Prep your veggies by washing them and slicing into thin layers. I typically cut my mushrooms bigger because I like them to taste “meaty”.
Heat the over to 400F. On a baking sheet, place your chopped veggies and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Leave the spinach off to the side. This will be added later. On the portobellos, splash with the balsamic to give it some extra flavor while it roasts. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the veggies reach your desired texture. I like them to have a slightly crunch because it gives it more texture in the lasagna and will continue to cook. Keep your senses open as the veggies cook—notice sounds and smells filling your kitchen.
While the veggies cook, in a medium bowl, add the egg, ricotta, pesto and salt and pepper. Stir evenly. Notice the smells that come alive. What’s your relationship to the ingredients? What’s your relationship to the texture of the mixture? The color?
In a big baking dish, sprinkle with olive oil and coat with a little bit of tomato sauce. For this next section, follow your intuition. You can do know wrong! Imagine the baking dish is your canvas and you are using the colors, textures and tastes to make the art come alive. I like to lay the first noodles down. Then add a layer of the ricotta mixture, followed by a layer of veggies , then noodles, then tomato sauce, then more veggies, then noodles, then ricotta, then veggies etc….
Once you get to the top of the baking dish, end with a noodle layer topped with tomato sauce. Add mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake in the oven covered with tinfoil at 375F for about 40 minutes. Take the tin foil off and bake for another 5-10 minutes so that the cheese browns. You will know it’s done when you can easily stick a knife through the dish. If you like the noodles to be softer, you might want to cook it longer. Notice the smells that come alive. What does your heart and body tell you while you wait? Sometimes I find this dish to be a labor of love that makes my heart/soul/belly happy.
As the lasagna cools, feel free to top with prosciutto and or basil.
Enjoy eating, sharing or saving this dish with lots of love.
If you feel inspired, share your mindful cooking practice or anything you are learning/noticing in the comments below or on Instagram with us.
