Lasagna **can be made vegetarian, GF or vegan

Ahhh fall is here and FINALLY I can turn on my oven without forcing myself into dehydration.

I have been trying to make a big meal for the family on either Monday or Tuesday night so that it will last us through the weekdays. This is fantastic for me for a few reasons:

1. I don’t have to cook every, single night
2. I am not buying too much food and wasting ingredients
3. It saves money because making one meal for four or five nights is more cost-effective

The meal has to be delicious enough that I can eat it over and over again. This week, is one of my faves:

LASAGNA.

I have a dairy allergy, so I make mine with sheep’s cheese and vegan ricotta. I also used vegan meatballs for some extra protein, and because I get sick of meat quicker. But this recipe is very easy to substitute out. Check out the ingredients list for all of your choices.

Lasagna is also a favorite of mine because I can sneak a shit-ton (that’s a technical cooking term) of vegetables in without loud and swarthy complaints from my children.

**A lot of my ingredients are from Trader Joe’s because I love them and that’s where I do most of my shopping. HOWEVER– a version of these may be bought at almost any grocery store.

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of lasagna noodles *Gluten free options are available at most stores in the noodle section
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 jars (28 oz) of  sauce of your choice
• 3 zucchini, diced
• 1 package of “Meatless Meatballs”/1 pound ground turkey/1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup frozen spinach (I have found it’s more bang for your buck to buy frozen, organic spinach but fresh will also work but it should be 1.5 cups)
• 1 cup diced bell peppers
• 1 package (about 2 cups) Harvest Hodgepodge Vegetable Blend
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of rosemary
• 2 cups grated Pecorino Romano Sheep Cheese (substitute a vegan cheese like Daiya’s mozzarella here for a completely vegan lasagna)

Vegan Ricotta

• 6 oz (3/4 package) pine nuts
•  1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot, bring water to boil for lasagna noodles. Cook noodles to packaging directions. Set aside to cool.

Place two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add zucchini and cook until golden brown (approx 5 minutes).

Add sauce, spinach, rosemary and Meatless Meatballs (if you are using turkey or beef, make sure to cook them in a separate skillet first, that way you don’t have to worry about giving your whole family diarrhea from under-cooked meat).

Simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Place pine nuts, water and yeast into a food processor. Squeeze lemon over top. Blend until creamy. This is your vegan ricotta cheese. Taste it. It is delicious!

In a second skillet, place two tablespoons of oil on medium heat. Add bag of mixed veggies and bell peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until golden brown (approx 8 minutes).

Grate Pecorino Romano cheese.

Oil a lasagna pan to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom.

Now set up your stations.

Lay a row of lasagna noodles flat on the bottom of the pan. Place sauce/spinach/meat mixture on top. Spoon vegan ricotta cheese down the length of each noodle. Add vegetable mix. Sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese.

Repeat.

NOTE: the top layer of noodles should only have the sauce and cheeses, not the vegetable mix. So plan accordingly.

Place in preheated (350 degree) oven for 45 minutes, to let all the goodness stew.

Remove after allotted time, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH. Close your eyes and moan.