Easy Vegetable Lasagna

Darling Daughter, Lani, is my 3rd child and 2nd daughter. She lives in Logan, Utah and attends Utah State University. She is also a vegetarian. When she lived at home, every meal I made was either vegetarian or I'd revamp a portion for her so that hers would be. I've become quite accustomed to cooking this way for her and even now that she has moved away ((wipes a tear)) I still make lots of meatless meals. Like this Veggie Lasagna. So delicious. So full of great flavors that I don't even notice that there is none of the customary meat.

This recipe is especially great this time of year, with all the bounty of great fresh produce. You can make it with any of your favorite sauces. I usually make it with traditional red spaghetti sauce, but this time I made it with Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce...just because I knew Lani would love it. Today we are headed up to Logan (2 hours away) for a visit with Darling Daughter so I made a few meals in cute little single serve size disposable freezer pans to take up and stash in her freezer. Of course, this Veggie Lasagna is included. I love it. She loves it. So will you.

Veggie Lasagna

1 medium zucchini, sliced

4 white mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup carrot matchsticks

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup cottage cheese

1 egg

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

your favorite spaghetti sauce ( I used Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce this time)

lasagna noodles

Prepare the vegetables.

 Heat olive oil and add peppers, onions and carrots. These need a little more cooking than the zucchini and mushrooms. Toss them around while they cook, don't let them brown. Cook them for a couple of minutes.

 Add the zucchini and mushrooms. Toss them around and cook for another minute or two. Do not cook them completely since they will continue to cook when you bake the lasagna.

 The vegetables should look about like this. The zucchini should still be firm.

In a bowl, combine the cottage cheese (you could use Ricotta, if you prefer), egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper. Mix well.

Start with a layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Next put a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Break them to fit. Top with a layer of sauce and a layer of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese. Top with another noodle layer. Add a thick layer of the cottage cheese mixture. Top with another noodle. Add a lovely layer of the vegetables.

Top with a noodle layer. Add sauce and some shredded Italian cheese.

I added a bit more sauce to the top before I put the lid on, just so the cheese doesn't stick fast to the lid so much.

I made these little lasagnas in single serve size disposable foil freezer pans because they are for Darling Daughter who is off to college. You could, of course, make this lasagna in any size pan that you desire. How convenient that there are 9 different sizes to choose from, making it easy for you to freeze MEAL SIZE!! What ever size works to feed the family, freeze that size. Make as many as the recipe will allow, or better yet, adjust the recipe to make as many as you desire.