Vegetarian Lasagna with Whole-Wheat Noodles and loads of veggies

Happy Sunday! This recipe is absolutely delicious and essentially fail-proof, as no one can ever really complain when cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles are involved. This vegetarian lasagna is just what the Doctor ordered for a Sunday evening meal. I donâ€™t stint on cheese, but I cut corners by using a whole-wheat lasagna noodle in place of white flour-based lasagna as well as veggies in place of ground beef. Youâ€™ll love the taste, the decadence, and the beauty of it!

This recipe requires that instead of placing the noodles side by side, you layer them on top of each other for each layer. They are uncooked prior to baking, so it is important that you add enough liquid (marinara) between each lasagna sheet so that they cook properly.

Also, this recipe includes directions for a homemade version of marinara. You could very well buy a store bought version to get the vegetarian lasagna to the table even quicker!

Vegetarian Lasagna

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For Assembly

2 cups of the roasted vegetable mix
9 organic, 100% whole-wheat lasagna sheets (7â€ x 3â€) â€“ I used DeLallo
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil for garnish

Marinara Sauce:

28-ounce can of crushed tomato
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1 green scallion
2 tablespoon chopped green pepper
Â½ teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon agave, maple syrup, or sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the marinara, finely chop the onions, scallions, garlic and green pepper. Bring a pan to medium heat, add the oil and onions, scallions and green pepper.Â When they start becoming translucent, add the garlic and sautÃ© for another minute. Add the crushed tomato and the remainder of the ingredients.Â When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until desired thickness â€“ about 20-30 minutes.

For the assembly, place 1 sheet at a time in the dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of marinara sauce on that sheet and then add another ON TOP of the first sheet, followed by 1/4 cup of marinara, another sheet, and 1/4 cup of marinara. You are not going to boil the lasagna sheets before baking, so as you place them into the dish, make sure that all corners and sides are in some way brushed or covered with the marinara. The DeLallo brand has relatively thick sheets so only one was needed for me for my dish, but if yours is wider, set 2 side by side, or even three. This will require more marinara sauce and double the sheets.

Atop the first layer of 3 lasagna sheets, spread half of the roasted veggies. On top of the veggies, dollop 2-3 full tablespoons of ricotta cheese (try to disperse as evenly as possible) as well as 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the same process with the next layer, starting with 1/4 cup of marinara sauce, one sheet, 1/4 cup of marinara sauce, another sheet, 1/4 cup of marinara sauce, and the last sheet followed by 1/4 cup of marinara sauce. Add the second half of the vegetables, and then 1/4 cup each of ricotta and mozzarella.

For the last layer, atop the cheese, spread 1/4 cup of marinara sauce, a last layer of sheets, with 1/4 cup of marinara in between each, and the remaining 1/4 cup each of ricotta and mozzarella.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and begun to brown and the noodles are cooked through.

Garnish with fresh basil before serving.