Super Veg Lasagna

Who says lasagna isn't comfort food? Well in my house it is! Instead of a meat filled lasagna, I made it very veggie. Hearty mushrooms, kale and roasted peppers & onions are the stars in this dish. Plus with all of the layers it makes it a flavor explosion! My husband, who is a die-hard meat eater, LOVES this lasagna. This is definitely a slimmed down version of a traditional lasagna - less cheese, less oil and no meat. Figure friendly food. Sorry but the pictures don't do it justice. You have to make it for yourself - it's amazing!


If you don't want to make the Roasted Balsamic Peppers and Onions, you could saute the peppers and onions in the skillet before adding the mushrooms and kale. I just find the sweetness of the roasting process to be to die for. It really brings everything together. I boiled the kale a bit to help break it down a bit, but in the finished lasagna it still maintains a hearty bite (not soggy). As for the tomato sauce, I used Newman's Own Organic Tomato and Basil sauce (my go to sauce). If you prefer to make this a vegan lasagna, just omit the cottage cheese and cheese topping - the flavor from the veggies is more than enough. 

Super Veg Lasagna

Cook Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: < 10 minutes
Serves: 4 


Ingredients:

• Roasted Balsamic Peppers and Onions (whole recipe)
• 1 lb of organic kale, stem removed and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 tsp of olive oil 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb of cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 a jar of organic tomato sauce
• 8 sheets of no boil lasagna noodles
• 1 cup of cottage cheese 
• 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella, grated
• 1/4 cup of Parmigiano, grated
• 1 tsp of Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prep an 8x8 baking dish with olive oil spray. 


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chopped kale and swirl around. Let it cook for about 4 minutes or so. Drain the kale and set aside.


Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic, mushrooms and kale. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. Set aside. 

Now it is time to assemble! Spread about 1/3 cup of tomato sauce on the surface of the baking dish. Then top with 2 lasagna noodles. Top the lasagna noodles with 1/2 of the kale mixture and 1/2 of the peppers and onions mixture. Place another 2 noodles on top of that. Spread 1 cup of cottage cheese and 2/3 cup of tomato sauces over the noodles. Top again with another 2 noodles. Spread the remaining kale and pepper/onion mixture over the noodles. Top with 2 more noodles. Spread 1/2-2/3cup of tomato sauce over the top (enough to cover the entire surface). 


Sprinkle the cheese on top of the sauce evenly. Sprinkle the top with the Italian seasoning.


Transfer the dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. 


Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and serve.