
*You can easily switch out the sauteed vegetables for ground beef or Italian sausage, then just add it to your marinara for easy layering. Once assembled, before baking, you can freeze this lasagna. It takes an extra 30-40 minutes to bake from frozen.
Veggie Lasagna
12 no boil lasagna noodles (Barilla brand are my favorite)
3 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I used this recipe)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Sauteed Veggies
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2-3 zucchini, quartered and sliced (depending on size, 3 if they are medium)
1 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
White Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
White sauce – In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the 4 tablespoons of butter, then add 1/4 cup flour and stir to thoroughly combine, Then slowly whisk in the milk stirring constantly. Add the salt and pepper and stir occasionally to be sure it isn’t scalding on the bottom, while it comes to a simmer and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes. Take off the heat, and set aside for now.
Sautéed veggies – In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the tablespoon of olive oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Then add the mushrooms, zucchini, italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes until softened, take off heat and set aside.
Assembling lasagna – Line up all the ingredients next to your 9×13 inch pan. Lay 4 noodles on the bottom, pour in 1 cup marinara sauce and spread it over noodles, followed by 1 cup white sauce and spread it over noodles, spread 1/2 of the veggies over it, and sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup parmesan over it evenly. Repeat for the second layer. The top layer is the last of the sauces and cheeses in the same order. Then bake for 30-40 minutes, until it is bubbling around the edges, and golden on top.
Let it rest for 10 minutes, and then serve and enjoy!
I love Italian food, and Todd has this sincere dislike of overly cheesy food. (I know, crazy!) So when I discover the concept of using a white sauce in place of ricotta or cottage cheese, I was so excited, and Todd loved it! It made me happy to make lasagna I knew we would both enjoy. We do eat meat, but I try to make half or more of our meals meatless to up our veggie intake.
*I originally found this recipe on melskitchencafe.com, one of my favorite food blogs, I modified by using my sauce, and using veggies instead of meat.