"Giardino Vegetarian Lasagna"

  I'm not sure what attributes to strange food cravings when I work night shifts, but it never seems to dissipate until I have satisfied such cravings.  This past Friday, while working a most-exciting night shift, I started to think about how great a vegetarian lasagna would taste right around the three o'clock hour.  Since I do not eat red meat, and since I had no lasagna recipes other than ones that contain beef (sorry Mom and my entire Southern-cultured family), I decided to bake the dish that Saturday.  It quickly became apparent that I did not want to follow any to an exact "T" so I thought it'd be best to get original, toss all twelve recipes together, and create my own "hodgepodge" vegetarian lasagna.

  After waking up around 1:30pm that afternoon I ventured to the store in search of various ingredients that sounded appetizing to throw into a 9 x 16 dish, and to my surprise, I'm pretty sure I gathered all the right, necessary ingredients minus cottage cheese.  Most recipes, including my grandmother's classic beef lasagna call for cottage cheese, but I, instead, decided to use ricotta cheese.  Next time, and for this entry/recipe write-up, I suggest adding both types of cheese (why not?!) in making sure that all layers are covered.  So, here is the recipe for my "hodgepodge vegetarian lasagna"- it is absolutely amazing, and makes for great leftovers!  With a little red wine (Pinot Noir went perfectly with the marinara sauce), all the flavors surface.  I worked three twelve-hour shifts the day after I made this, and it lasted me all three days.  It's also a wonderful dish if you're having people over for dinner or attending potluck events.  Enjoy, and as the Italians say, Buon appetito!

Carrie's Giardino Vegetarian Lasagna

Prep time: 30 minutes

Bake time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

-1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (I suggest petite diced)

-1 16 oz jar of marinara sauce 

-2 TBS olive oil

-1/4 cup water

-2 cups shredded zucchini 

-1 finely-chopped onion

-1 tsp onion powder

-1 tsp salt/pepper

-1 16-oz package of frozen spinach thawed and drained

-1 15-oz tub of ricotta cheese

-1 15 oz-tub of cottage cheese

-1 box of uncooked lasagna noodles

-2 cups of mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

-cooking spray

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium-sized bowl combine diced tomatoes and marinara sauce, stirring well; set aside.  Next, in a large frying pan, heat pan with oil and water, first adding chopped onion and shredded zucchini.  Season vegetables to desired taste (I love adding onion powder and even a hint of oregano), slowly saute.  When the onions are golden brown, carefully pour tomato mixture into the frying pan and turn to medium heat.  Once mixture begins to bubble, turn heat back to warm and let sit.  Combine ricotta and cottage cheese with the spinach in another bowl, making sure mixture resembles a nice, thick paste.  Next, prepare your 9 x 16 glass dish with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the dish with the uncooked lasagna noodles, making sure that the entire surface is covered (I had to break some noodles in half to make a good fit).  Next, taking a third of your tomato/vegetable mixture, pour a layer over top the uncooked noodles, making sure it is evenly spread over the entire dish.  Once this is completed, take your cheese/spinach mixture and evenly spread over the sauce layer.  Repeating the process once more, put another layer of noodles over the cheese/spinach layer, followed by another sauce layer and cheese/spinach layer.  Once the second cheese/spinach layer has been placed, put down one final layer of uncooked noodles, topping off the dish with the remaining tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella/Italian cheese.  Place in the oven to bake for 30-45 minutes.  If the edges or top begins to brown before it has finished baking, place aluminum foil over the top of the dish to prevent further burning.  Let the lasagna cool for 10-15 minutes, cut, and enjoy!