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.

sausage pasta bake

sometimes you just gotta get something on the table.  nothing fancy, just something to feed us and keep that temptation to order in at bay.  this recipe did the trick for us the other night.  i liked how easy it was to make, not to mention how cost effective.  i also liked that i could tweak a few ingredients to boost the overall nutritional value.  i used my last container of chickpea and veggie pasta sauce, and whole wheat pasta and bread crumbs.  i would have gone for low-fat cheese as well, but we had some old cheddar in the fridge that needed to be used up, so that'll have to wait til next time.  i'm not sure there's any way to make the sausage better for you... but i take comfort in the fact that one serving probably contains about a third of a regular sausage anyways... so it's not too bad.  it was really tasty.  i just might have to try this one out at our next potluck!


Sausage Pasta Bake 
adapted from:  Sobey's Inspired Magazine, Fall 2010
prep time:  10 minutes  cook time: 25 mins
serves 6

1 package of rigatoni, penne, or whatever floats your pasta boat - i always buy whole wheat pasta and am excited to see that it's now no more expensive than regular pasta
3 1/2 cups pasta sauce - i used my own, if you use store bought, try to find something with as many natural ingredients and veggies as possible (if you can't read the ingredient list, put it back on the shelf!)
2 sausages - the recipe called for spicy ones, so by all means, spice it up if you like
1/3 cup fresh basil, or 1 about tbsp dried
1/4 cup fresh parsley, or 1 about tbsp dried
2 tbsp bread crumbs - again, whole wheat if you've got em
1/3 cup cheese - the recipe called for bocconcini - i have no idea what that is.  i used cheddar because we had some, mozzarella would likely be divine.  i grated mine, you could lay it in slices if you like.

preheat the oven to 425.  cook the pasta according to directions until just barely done.  drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.  pour pasta into an oiled 9x11 baking dish.

in a separate bowl, combine pasta sauce, pasta water, 1/2 basil leaves, and all the parsley (i didn't do the pasta water thing because my sauce was already a little soupy.  let me know if you try it though).  pour evenly over the pasta.

squeeze sausages out of their casings and slice thinly.  scatter over top of pasta.  sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese and bake for about 15 minutes or until bubbly.  add the rest of the basil leaves, serve and enjoy!