Vegetable Lasagna

I had my BF over for dinner tonight. She needed a little entertainment while her husband is out of town. I made us vegetable lasagna and served it with a little salad and homemade garlic bread. This is a great vegetarian meal, but hearty enough for all the meatlovers out there. Feel free to make changes to the lasagna and substitute with your favorite veggies. Eggplant would be great.

Italian Salad
1 sack of Italian salad mix
artichoke hearts
kalamata olives
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese (however much you like, a teaspoon or two)

Combine the first three ingredients into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl (or if you have an awesome emulsifier like me) combine the last four ingredients and whisk well. Pour about half of the dressing on the salad and toss. Save the rest of the dressing for another night.

Vegetable Lasagna
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 zucchinis, sliced thin
1 (8-10 ounce) package of sliced mushrooms (I like to use baby bellas)
1 (15 ounce) container part skim milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce (2 jars of store-bought sauce)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-medium high heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and let cook for 1 minute. Then add the mushrooms and zucchini to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sautee until the vegetables are tender, but still have some bite, about 7 minutes, toss frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare the rest.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg and salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and stir well to combine.

Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles (four sheets) on top, overlapping a bit is okay. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the mushroom/zucchini mixture, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated Fontina cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. This allows the lasagna to set, so when you cut into it all the sauce and juice doesn't pour out.

You may freeze this lasagna to use later. Just cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Garlic Bread
1 loaf of fresh Italian bread from the bakery
4 cloves of garlic
handful of Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 a stick of butter, at room temperature

Place the butter in a bowl and allow to soften at room temperature. Add the garlic and parsley, mix well. Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Spread each half with the butter mixture. Place on a baking sheet, butter side up. When you take the lasagna out of the oven, put in the bread and bake for 10 minutes. (While the lasagna rests.)

Bon Apetito!