vegetable lasagna

i have finally gotten to the point in life where i can make up my own lasagna recipe.  i feel like there should be some kind of award for this... but i'll take the whopping pan of wonderfulness as my reward.  :)

i LOVE making lasagna.  i don't know why - something about bringing together all the different parts to form something truly delicious... it makes me feel strong and confident and like this one pan is proof that i actually CAN cook.  i don't make it too often though because, lets face it, it's a bit of a production.  i end up using almost every dish in the house just getting it ready.  but ooohhh is it worth it, and it freezes and reheats great.

Vegetable Lasagna - serves 6-8
prep time: forever  cook time: 1hr-ish

1 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 pepper, colour of your choice, chopped - note: you can add whatever veggies you like.  i really wanted to add eggplant this time but there weren't any at the grocery store, so this was what i used.  but really, use up whatever you've got in the house or whatever sounds good to you
4 cups tomato sauce - canned, homemade, seasoned, whatever floats your lasagna loving boat.
12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 cup light cottage cheese
1 cup light ricotta cheese
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 egg (optional)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
seasoning: basil, oregano, parsley, salt & pepper to taste - i go big on basil because the husband likes it that way, but oregano is a good dominating flavour too.

the complicated bit:

prepare the lasagna noodles according to package instructions.  drain, rinse, and set aside.

saute the onions, garlic, and celery in a large skillet in a bit of olive oil for 2ish minutes.  add the rest of the vegetables and some seasonings and cook until just beginning to soften.  set aside.

mix the cottage cheese, ricotta, 1/2 the mozzarella, and the egg together with some seasonings.  set aside.

in a 9x13 glass baking dish, assemble as follows:
a bit of tomato sauce on the bottom
4 lasagna noodles
1/3 sauce on top of the noodles
1/2 the veggies
1/2 the cheese mixture
4 more noodles
1/3 sauce
1/2 the veggies
1/2 the cheese mixture
last 4 noodles
rest of the sauce

cover and bake at 350 for 45mins - 1hr, checking to see if it's heating all the way through in the middle.  when it looks done, add the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the top and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.  remove from the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes.  serve, enjoy, and greatly inflate your personal sense of culinary ability.