Vegetable Lasagna

OK, I have to admit it. This was an experiment to see if I could engineer a lasagna that tastes like beef, but the dish only has vegetables. In my humble opinion, I succeeded. If you have ever had beyond Beef this would have a similar texture but the taste is all Italian. I call mine, UN-BURGER.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

Noodles:
3-4 Large Zucchini (you could use eggplant or 12 actual pasta if you prefer)
1 Tbsp Olive oil

The “Meat”:
You will need 2 1/2 lb. of carrots and asparagus had 3 carrots and 1 bunch of thick asparagus and that worked fine
1 cup Button mushrooms
1 small white onion
1 small can black beans (rinsed and drained)
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp Worchester sauce
1/4 C. Soy sauce
1 Tsp Olive oil
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
Your favorite 740 ml jarred pasta sauce (hold back 1/2 C of sauce)
Pepper and Mrs. Dash Onion and herb blend to taste (or use salt)

Filling
1 C Spinach (if frozen thawed and squeezed dry – Fresh: steam and chop to make a cups worth)
2 C Ricotta cheese
1 egg
1.5 C Mozzarella
1 C Parmesan

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Noodles:

Using a mandolin or knife cut zucchini into long, very thin, sheets.
Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, cook the zucchini in batches, cooking until they get a little color on them
Remove from pan and set aside
*** – The reason for cooking the zucchini is to reduce the moisture in the vegetable so the bottom of your pan isn’t too wet. I recommend using a slotted spatula when service to minimize the excess liquid getting on the plate
*** – Alternatively, you can sprinkle your zucchini with salt and let it sit for a while to remove moisture from the veg. Just make sure you wipe the zucchini off afterwards.

If you are using actual noodles, follow the directions on the box to cook them el dente

The “Meat”:
Using a food processor, grind the veg into small pieces that resemble ground beef when it is cooked
Add the veg to a skillet on medium heat with the tsp of olive oil. Cook for 5-10 minutes until tender crisp
Add remaining ingredients for the “meat mixture”, except the pasta sauce, and cook for another 3 minutes. Now add your sauce and cook for 2 further minutes stirring continuously to make sure the veg gets well coated. Set aside to cool until ready to assemble

The filling:
Grate the Mozzarella and parmesan
In a bowl add the other ingredients together and mix. Set aside

Assembly:

Start by putting the 1/2 C of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan or lasagna pan
Lay down a layer of zucchini noodles
Add 1/3 of your sauce and spread over the noodles
Cover with 1/3 of your Spinach mixture, spread
Sprinkle 1/3 of your Mozzarella on top of that
Repeat these layers twice more, making sure the mozzarella is the last layer to go on.

Cooking:
Put in the oven on the middle rack and cook for 60-70 minutes (or until the center temps at 165 degrees). Cook for 5 more minutes on the broil setting to brown the top. Wait 15 minutes before cutting in and serving. Optional: When ready to serve sprinkle fresh basil leaves on top.

Enjoy!