Here’s a quick and easy one that I got from JustAPinch a couple of nights ago. The wife made it last night, and I have some of the leftovers waiting for me for today’s lunch. We’re not vegetarian, but this sure was tasty!
Prep Time: 1 Hr
Cook Time: 1 Hr
Ingredients
1 pkg lazagna noodles
2 c small curd, low fat cottage cheese (less expensive than ricotta) or you can use ricotta
1 Tbsp each of fresh or bottled herbs: thyme, marjoram, italian seasoning, fennel seed
2 c homemade tomato sauce or canned variety. (16 oz) season with herbs above and cook in a pot add some parmesan cheese (to taste) to mixture while cooking
1 can(s) 16 oz. hunts diced tomatoes (liquid and all) or 2 large fresh tomatoes
1/2 c each, chopped white mushrooms, sweet onion, sweet green pepper, sweet red pepper,carrots (if using fresh carrots, pre cook in dish with water to cover carrots in microwave until tender crisp)
2 Tbsp butter
dash salt and pepper to taste
1- 1/2 c mozzarella cheese, low-fat
1/2-3/4 c parmesan cheese, fat-free
1-2 Tbsp crushed red peppers to taste.
Directions:
0-Preheat oven to 375
1-Boil large pot of hot water, once boiled, add salt and the lasagna shells cook about 20 minutes or until soft
2-Put half the herbs in a bowl with cottage cheese mix together and salt to taste
Sauté chopped mushrooms and onion in butter, when soft, reduce heat to low and mix in tomato sauce, the last half of the herbs and diced tomatoes. Add all other vegetables to this mix.Cook on top of range in a pot for about 20 minutes or so. if you feel you need more herbs, go ahead, It’s your kitchen and you are the head cook, add them to your desired liking!
3-In a large oven proof baking dish, sprinkle olive oil or oil of your preference.
4-Drain shells
5-ladle out some sauce and pour a thin layer of sauce over bottom of dish. Next lay down the noodles, then drop cottage cheese by tablespoons full all over the mix, sprinkle grated mozzarella
over this. Then top with vegetables, repeat until all ingredients are gone. End with a nice layer of mozzarella and shake on a layer of parmesan over the entire area.
We like to make one pan of this mixture in an oven proof dish and if there is enough of everything left over, grease a pizza pan and do the same layering as you did for the casserole dish, and Viola! You have Crustless Vegetarian Lasagna Pizza!! Bake as you would a frozen pizza about 20 minutes or until pizza is bubbly but not browned. Slice as you would a regular pizza!!
The grown ups can have the lasagna from the dish and the kids can enjoy the crustless pizza at their table!(You may want to omit the crushed red peppers in the kids pizza!)
-Eric