Veggie Lover Lasagna!

If you have followed this site or read many of my posts and recipes for long, you know I am not a vegetarian.    However, I do love vegetables and eat tons of them. I can't even think of a vegetable I don't like.  Well, maybe brussel sprouts which I am not crazy about, but my sister showed me a way to cook them that made me actually like them. 

 I did try to give up eating meat once, for some reason that I cannot now imagine, and it was not pretty.  By the end of a week, I was meaner than a junkyard dog.  Everyone around me, who had to put up with me, begged me to just eat a pork chop!  I was just not designed to be an herbivore.  Bunny rabbits are cute, but it isn't me! 

  I do get requests for vegetarian dishes quite a bit, but I also get requests for low fat and sugar free ones and when I post them, no one pays much attention to them.  I always wondered why there weren't more food blogs dedicated to vegetarian, vegan, fat free, sugar free, gluten free, light...now I know!  Nobody reads them!  

I do love this vegetable lasagna though and I promise you, you will not even miss the meat.  I promise!  I think Italian food can get away with not using meat easier than most, because of all of the flavor you put in it and of course, the cheese.   This is a great recipe for summer when zucchini and yellow squash are so abundant.  

 Here is what you will need for this:

9 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1/2 cup green or red bell pepper, diced

1 Tbs. garlic, minced

2 cups zucchini, diced

2 cups yellow squash, diced

1 cup shredded carrot or cut in very small matchsticks

2 cups fresh mushrooms diced

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6oz.) can tomato paste

1 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbs. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. sugar

32 oz. carton of ricotta cheese

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and green or red pepper.  Saute until just soft.  Add the zucchini, yellow squash, garlic and carrots.  I like to cut the zucchini and yellow squash in thin circles and then diced.  I don't think they work as well if left in big hunks or huge slices. This should all cook down somewhat into sort of a vegetable ragout.  Add the mushrooms right at the end, because the will cook fast and does not need to be cooked too much.  You want the veggies soft but still with a little bite to them, not mushy.

Once all of the veggie are just soft, but still have some body to them, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.  If the tomatoes are in big hunks, take your kitchen shears and cut them up some.  I hate big hunks of tomato in my lasagna sauce.  That's just me, if you like hunks, leave them in! 

 Add all of the seasonings, sugar and water to the sauce.   Bring up just to a bubble and then lower heat to low, cover and simmer while you assemble the other ingredients.

Mix the ricotta with the beaten eggs until smooth.  Add 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese, and 2 cups of the Mozzarella cheese and mix until well combined.  This mixture should be fairly thick.

Spread a layer of the sauce in a deep 9"x13" baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. 

Lay three of the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.  Dollop the cheese mixture over the noodles.

Continue to repeat the layers.

Finish with the sauce and the other 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Finish the top with the last cup of Mozzarella and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.

It will be bubbly around the edges!



Asparagus Tomato Bake!

When Spring finally comes along or even when it hints that it is on the way, I start to think about cooking vegetables like asparagus.  It's just a springtime vegetable to me, even though I eat it all year long.  I think asparagus is somewhat under used in southern cooking.  I am not sure why, but recipes including asparagus are not plentiful.  

 This is a recipe, my mother came up with that is just a bit different and it is absolutely one of my favorites.  It's delicious!   It's also good, because you can use fresh or canned asparagus and in the summer it's a great way to use some of your fresh tomatoes   If tomatoes are not in season,  Roma tomatoes work really well in this.   I am always partial to fresh asparagus, but if it's not available a good canned one will work.  I think this will be a great Easter recipe also!

Here is what you will need:

2 (8 oz.) cans asparagus spears, drained or an equal amount of fresh asparagus, blanched

3 medium fresh tomatoes, sliced (if you use Roma tomatoes, you might need 4)

1/4 tsp. salt

dash black pepper

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

dash of hot sauce (Tabasco)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange your whole asparagus spears on a shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.  A quiche dish or deep pie plate works well.

If you are using fresh asparagus, break off the woody ends and place it in a skillet with about 2 inches of lightly salted water.  Bring to a boil and cook for just about 2-4 minutes. Drain and place on a paper towel, then place in your casserole dish. 

Place the sliced tomatoes on a triple thickness of  paper towels and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  Allow them to hang out on the paper towels for about 10- 15 minutes.  The salt will bring some of the moisture out of the tomatoes and your dish won't be too watery. 

Lay the tomatoes evenly over the asparagus spears.   Dot each tomato with a pat of butter.

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cheese, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce.  Mix well. Spread over the tomato layer. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place in the 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and melt.

This makes a wonderful side dish or it could be served as a vegetarian main dish or meatless meal!

I could definitely make this a main dish!   It's so good!  I am looking forward to making it with fresh garden tomatoes this summer also!