Vegetarian Lasagna with Mushrooms and Zucchini

I honestly think the veggies here can be swapped with anything you like. Some people are super into broccoli in their lasagna (I, on the other hand, am most definitely not), but do what you will.

Other vegetarian lasagnas do not necessarily saute the vegetables before layering into the dish. Why miss an opportunity to flavor relatively bland veggies like mushrooms and zucchini? In conclusion, people are silly, so just saute the veg and be happy with yourself.

The key thing to remember here is have some fun with the flavor. Not enough basil for your taste? Add more! Craving more garlic? Chop some up and throw it in. This is by no means a set recipe, just what I happened to throw together the other night.

Ingredients

1 large 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes (with basil if you want)
1 large, ripe, tomato, chopped. (or a few roma tomatoes, chopped).
1 large, clean bunch of fresh basil (torn or chopped)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
Oregano or Italian herb seasoning and red pepper flakes, to taste
1 large zucchini
1 carton of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 box of the flat lasagna noodles (without the ruffly-edged ridges.)
1 small container of ricotta cheese
1 small block of mozzerella, shredded
1 egg
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop up the onions and garlic, and saute in a few pats of butter or olive oil in a good-sized saucepan on low-medium heat until the onions turn opaque. Be careful not to keep the heat on too high or you will burn the garlic. Add a dash of salt, and stir. Add in the chopped fresh tomatoes, and cook until the liquid starts coming out of the tomatoes, which will take several minutes. Add a few dashes of the red pepper flakes, some fresh ground black pepper, and some of the oregano/Italian herbs. (At this point I also threw in a few splashes of red wine and allowed it to cook off a bit to flavor the onion/garlic base. This is totally optional though.)

Next, add the can of the diced tomatoes, and a big handful of the torn or shredded basil. Bring the tomato sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Make sure the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and basil are all fully incorporated into the sauce. Cook for about 15 minutes or so, uncovered, to reduce the sauce a bit and concentrate the flavors. Continously taste the sauce for your preferred level of heat with the red pepper flakes, the oregano/Italian herbs, and the level of salt/pepper, and add these items into the sauce as needed. Once the sauce thickens a bit after 15 minutes of simmering (more or less), turn off the heat and allow to rest.

In the mean time, slice up the zucchini and the mushrooms. Saute them in some olive oil with the same spices as you used in the tomato sauce (red pepper flakes, oregano/Italian herbs, salt, pepper.) Once the mushrooms get soft and the zucchini starts to brown a bit, the veggies are ready.

In a small bowl, add the egg, ricotta cheese, a bit of salt, freshly cracked pepper, and some oregano and mix thoroughly till everything is fully incorporated. If you haven't done so already, shred the mozerella cheese.

In a casserole dish, spoon a bit of the tomato sauce along the bottom. Add as many sheets of the lasagna pasta as needed to cover the tomato sauce. Next add on some of the sauteed veggies, spreading them across the lasagna pasta sheets. On top of the veggies, add a few dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture, and spread evenly on top of the veggies. On top of the ricotta cheese, add sprinkle a handful of the mozerella cheese, and then a spoonful of the tomato sauce till covered. Add another layer of the uncooked pasta sheets, the veggies, the ricotta, the mozerella, and the tomato sauce. By now you should have used up all of the ricotta and the veggies, with just enough tomato sauce and mozzerella left for the top. Add the final layer of lasagna pasta on top, covered by the remainder of the tomato sauce and the last hefty sprinkling of mozerella cheese.

Cover the lasagna in foil, and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, until the lasagna is bubbling. Remove the foil and allow to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is lightly browned.

Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow to cool for a solid 15-20 minutes before serving. Chop up some basil (or tear it) and sprinkle it on top. Make sure to give it the full time to cool off a bit and settle down. It's definitely worth it. Enjoy!