Lasagna

Lasagna has got to be one of my favorite foods. While many of us grew up thinking that lasagna had to have meat in it, these recipes show that lasagna can be made without any meat. Check out the Easy Whole Wheat Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna, the Lasagna Roll-Ups, or any of the other lasagna recipes here. Enjoy!

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

This comes from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Going meatless doesn't mean giving up flavor with this layered lasagna, filled with vegetables and three kinds of cheese."

Prep Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 9 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 6

To view this online, go to https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/vegetarian-lasagna/591e01c7-8027-4a6b-88c6-974ad3572ede.

Ingredients

2 cups Muir Glen™ Organic Pasta Sauce Tomato Basil (from 25.5 oz jar)

1 medium zucchini, shredded (1 cup)

1 (12-oz.) container (1 1/2 cups) low-fat cottage cheese or 1 (15-oz.) container low-fat ricotta cheese

1 (9-oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain well

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

8 oven-ready lasagna noodles (each about 7x3 inches)

1 (4-oz.) can mushroom pieces and stems, drained

8 oz. (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Spray 12x10-inch sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine pasta sauce and zucchini; mix well. In another medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese and oregano; mix well.

Spread 1/4 cup sauce mixture in ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles. Spread about 1/2 cup sauce mixture over noodles. Drop 1/2 cup of spinach mixture by small spoonfuls over sauce mixture; spread carefully. Sprinkle with 1/4 of mushrooms and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers 3 more times, beginning with noodles. Cover with foil, sprayed side down; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 400°F. Bake covered for 45 minutes.

Uncover baking dish; bake an additional 10 minutes or until lasagna is bubbly around edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Expert Tips

Look for precooked oven-ready lasagna noodles near the dry pasta in the grocery store or in the frozen pasta section. Trim the precooked lasagna noodles to fit, if necessary.

This recipe may be baked immediately after assembly. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue baking for about 10 minutes, or until it is bubbly around the edges.

ASPARAGUS-PESTO LASAGNA

This is from the April 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “This recipe uses two popular Italian lasagna fillings: asparagus and pesto.” Serves 10.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/asparagus-pesto-lasagna/

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided

6 Tbs. pesto*, or more to taste

2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish, optional

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. olive oil

1 1/4 lb. asparagus spears, tips cut off and reserved, spears trimmed and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)

16 no-cook lasagna noodles (9 oz.)

2 cups shredded Fontina or part-skim mozzarella cheese (8 oz.), divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk flour and 1/2 cup milk in saucepan until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and boil 1 minute, or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in pesto, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup white sauce.

Warm oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped asparagus (not tips) and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Coat 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place layer of noodles in dish, overlapping slightly. Layer with half of cooked asparagus, 3/4 cup Fontina and half of sauce. Add another layer of pasta, remaining sauce, remaining cooked asparagus and 3/4 cup Fontina. Top with layer of noodles, then with reserved 1 cup white sauce. Arrange reserved asparagus tips over top and sprinkle with remaining Fontina.

Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes; serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

* Look for the freshest, most flavorful pesto in the refrigerator section of the supermarket, packaged in vacuum-sealed bags or in plastic tubs.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 413; Protein: 21 g; Total Fat: 17 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Carbohydrates: 44 g; Cholesterol: 44 mg; Sodium: 686 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 8 g

TACO ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

This comes from Linday Funston on Delish, and begins, “So flavorful, you won't even notice the noodles are gone.”

Total Time: 45 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4 - 6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 c. ricotta

1/2 c. sour cream, plus more for drizzling

1 large egg

1/3 c. salsa

3 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 c. shredded Cheddar

2 c. Shredded Monterey Jack

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 8 minutes more. Drain fat.

In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, and egg. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large baking or casserole dish, spread a thin layer of salsa. Top with a layer of zucchini noodles, sour cream mixture, ground beef, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, ending with zucchini noodles.

Bake until noodles are tender and cheese is bubbly, 25 minutes.

Drizzle with sour cream, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

SUPER GOOD LASAGNA

This is from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Serves: 8-12; Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 eggplant

1 box lasagna pasta (I used 12 pieces)

1-2 10 oz. packages spinach, thawed and drained

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu)

10 (or more/less) mushrooms, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

vegetable crumbles (ground beef substitute)

dab of vegan margarine (optional)

olive oil for cooking

1 tub vegan cream cheese (Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)

Directions

Prepare the eggplant by cutting into thin (1/4 in or about 1 cm thick) long wise. Peel. It is much easier to peel after it has been cut. All you do is lay each piece flat side down and run the knife along the edges! Saute each piece in a bit of olive oil until easily pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool. This can be done the day before, it takes a while to cook fully.

Saute the chopped mushrooms, onion, bell peppers, and the veggie crumbles until tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, boil and drain your pasta, set aside.

Mix spinach and tofutti cream vegan cheese (room temperature) together until creamy. You may have to microwave it for a few seconds to soften. You can also add a dab of vegan margarine and some salt.

Assembly: Coat bottom of large baking pan with spaghetti sauce. Layer 3-4 noodles, then some mushroom-pepper mixture, then a few slices of eggplant, then some spinach mix, top with spaghetti sauce. Repeat. Make sure you have noodles on top. Cover liberally with more spaghetti sauce (you won't use the whole jar). Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 min or until sauce on top is thick.

TORTILLA LASAGNA

This is from the January/February 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 48. It begins, "This easy, crowd-pleasing dish is also a kid favorite. Toasting the tortillas before building the lasagna keeps them from getting soggy as the dish bakes. Feel free to mix things up with different beans, cheeses, or vegetables between the layers." Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

6 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 Tbs. chili powder

2 tsp. ancho chile powder

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

2 cups strained tomatoes, such as Pomì, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium chayote, peeled and diced, or 2 medium zucchini, diced (1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast tortillas on 2 baking sheets in oven 5 minutes, or until light brown, turning once.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in chili powder, ancho chile powder, and garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add 11/2 cups strained tomatoes, beans, chayote, corn, and 1/2 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until chayote is tender.

Coat 2-inch-deep x 8-inch round baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup strained tomatoes in bottom of pan. Set 1 toasted tortilla in pan; top with 3/4 cup bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering 4 more times. Top with last tortilla, and spread remaining 1/4 cup strained tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and cheese has melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.

nutritional information Per Wedge: Calories: 226; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 27 g; Cholesterol: 19 mg; Sodium: 506 mg; Fiber: 10 g; Sugar: 4 g

EASY WHOLE WHEAT VEGETARIAN SPINACH LASAGNA

This is from Jolinda Hackett on The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, “Easy whole wheat vegetarian lasagna with spinach baked in the oven with three kinds of cheeses. What's not to love? This is the perfect classic spinach lasagna recipe for the whole family!

“Make your vegetarian lasagna just a bit healthier by using this recipe, which calls for whole wheat lasagna noodles and spinach. Even though it uses whole wheat noodles, this Italian spinach lasagna is incredibly rich and creamy as it uses plenty of mozzarella, Parmesan, and low-fat cottage cheese. Of course, you don't have to use whole wheat lasagna noodles if you prefer the regular kind.

“This spinach lasagna recipe is courtesy of the Wheat Foods Council.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 75 minutes; Total Time: 90 minutes; Yield: 10 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 8-ounce package whole wheat lasagne noodles, cooked slightly (al dente)

1 9-ounce package frozen raw spinach (well thawed and drained)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs

3 cups low-fat cottage cheese

3 cups pre-made or store-bought pasta sauce

3 cups grated low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs then add the cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese. Spray a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or a homemade olive oil spray.

Put one layer of the slightly cooked lasagna noodles flat across the bottom of the baking dish. Add about half of the spinach, pressing down lightly and evenly over the noodles. Top with another layer of lasagna noodles. Top this layer of noodles with the cottage cheese mixture then add the remaining spinach. Then add the last of the lasagna noodles laid evenly on top of spinach.

Once you've layered everything, spread the pasta sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle the whole thing with mozzarella cheese. Press down lightly.

Cover baking dish with foil, using foil sprayed with cooking spray and keeping foil off the center of the lasagna. Secure sides tightly over baking dish.

Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes in oven. To lightly brown the top, remove foil for a few minutes at the end of baking time.

Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving): 282 Calories; 12g Fat; 23g Carbs; 19g Protein

LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

This recipe, from FamilyTime, begins, “These tender lasagna rolls are filled with a ricotta-mushroom-pesto mixture, and baked in a special sauce made by combining Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce and Pace® Picante Sauce.”

Serves: 4 servings (2 roll-ups each); Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 can (about 4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1/2 cup refrigerated pesto sauce

8 lasagna noodle, cooked and drained

2 cups Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce or Tomato, Basil & Garlic Italian Sauce

3/4 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)

Directions

Stir the ricotta, mushrooms and pesto in a medium bowl. Top each noodle with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Spread to the edges. Roll up like a jelly roll. Place the rolls seam-side down in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Stir the Italian sauce and picante sauce in a small bowl and pour the mixture over the roll-ups.

Bake at 400°F. for 30 minutes or until they're hot and bubbling. Top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes.