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"Best Vegetable Lasagna"
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb seasoned ground beef or turkey, cooked thoroughly
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt, pepper to taste
5 to 6 ounces baby spinach
2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 cups (16 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese, divided
9 no-boil lasagna noodles*
8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preparation
TLDR layering order:
1. sauce
2. 3 noodles
3. half the cottage cheese mix + half the beef/turkey
4. sauce
5. shredded cheese
6. 3 noodles
7. remaining cottage cheese mix + remaining beef/turkey
8. shredded cheese
9. 3 noodles
10. sauce
11. more shredded cheese
Full Recipe:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prep veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.
3. Add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
4. Pour half the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you’ll need it later.
5. Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped (but not puréed!), about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Now it’s lasagna assembly time!
8. Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
9. Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.10. Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce leftover) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
11. Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don’t let it come into contact with the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 10 to 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown.
12. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve.
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