#Casserole | Jill's Cooking

This is for my sister who is not a carnivore like me and asked for a Vegan lasagna recipe. I love a challenge and this prompted me to search several Vegan and Vegetarian recipes over the past few days. I wanted the perfect meatless lasagna that my family would eat. The recipe also needed to be simple. Although, it is Vegetarian, it’s not too far from my traditional meat sauce lasagna.

Greek yogurt or tofu is substituted for the egg that is traditionally used in the ricotta mixture. Spinach is used in place of the meat, which is an even better source of protein. This is a great lasagna and filling dinner for any Vegan or Vegetarian.

Here you go Heidi Lou!

Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 box no-bake lasagna noodles or fresh pasta sheets (my preference)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

2 packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained

3 cups ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Greek yogurt or silk tofu

1/2 cup Parmesan

3 cup mozzarella cheese

2 cups crushed tomatoes (such as San Marzano, Muir Glen or Cento) or jar of pasta sauce

fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet over medium heat add oil, onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir in the thawed and drained spinach until completely combined. Turn off heat.
In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, Greek yogurt or tofu (depending on which you use), Parmesan, handful of parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Set aside.
You’re now ready to begin building the lasagna in a large baking dish or lasagna pan. Add a thin layer of the crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce to the bottom of the pan to cover. Top the sauce with a layer of the no-bake or fresh lasagna pasta overlapping if necessary. Next, add another scoop of the crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce over the noodles. Then, add about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture and spread evenly. Add 6 dollops of the ricotta mixture over the spinach and spread. Sprinkle with an even layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat these steps again, ending with the mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan on the top.
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the lasagna slightly browned.
Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting in order for it to set. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve.

Add a Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread to complete this very meatless dinner.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

The cheese, sauce and noodles are bubbling in the oven!

Lasagna is something I’ve made endlessly over the years for my family. It can be made ahead and even frozen until you’re ready to cook. This is another recipe committed to memory, which prompted me to write everything down while I made it tonight. My advice is to use the best ingredients and the thinnest lasagna noodles available, which usually are not found in a box.

Although, I’m pretty confident in my lasagna-making ability, I will never serve it to my son-in-law from Naples, Italy since his family’s Italian restaurant makes the best I’ve ever tasted…hands down! It’s his nonna, Mamma Carmela’s recipe. Her lasagna is layers of thin homemade noodles with the most incredible sauce and cheese. It’s something we order whenever we go to their restaurant because it is a delicacy for any lasagna lover.

Although, mine is not nearly as good, here’s my version that begins with meat sauce that cooks all day and thin, fresh, store-bought lasagna noodles (someday I’ll learn to make my own)!

Classic Meat Lasagna

1 pound ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, diced small

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano Style Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 15 ounce can tomato puree

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

16 ounce fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (such as Bel Gioioso or Galbani)

12 ounces shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese (the one I used tonight was for Pizzas)

16 ounces ricotta cheese (such as Bel Gioioso, Galbani, Lucerne or Maggio)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

16 ounces lasagna pasta (I use thin flat sheets of fresh pasta)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and add chopped onions, carrots and sliced garlic. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook until completely browned. Drain fat and return to pan.
Add whole peeled tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste, red wine, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I emulsify the sauce to thin out the meat but that’s optional and not necessary.
Slice the mozzarella log or purchase pre-sliced.
In another bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper until combined. Set aside.
In a 14 x 11 1/2 baking dish you will begin to assemble the lasagna ladling some of the pasta sauce on the bottom. Top this with the 2 fresh lasagna noodle sheets (you do not need to cook the noodle if it is fresh. If you are using a box lasagna noodle, follow the instructions to cook before this step). Add another layer of sauce, then dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture that you’ll smooth over the meat. Next, you’ll add the sliced mozzarella cheese in three rows of three. You will repeat these steps two more times. After the final layer you’ll add the shredded mozzarella cheese and remaining slices of mozzarella. Finally, sprinkle with some Parmesan.
Cover the lasagna with foil and cook for 50-60 minutes on top of a baking sheet (to catch any sauce that may bubble over). Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the top is slightly browned.

Serve with Caesar Salad and garlic or sour dough bread. Serves 6 – 8.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

Spinach Lasagna (Meatless)

Classic Meat Lasagna