PARTY CREAMER : COOK IT UP: Vegetable Lasagna

I've been meaning to cook vegetable lasagna for the longest time but never really got around to doing it until today.

This dish is the reason why I have to up my workout this week! I had hefty servings of this dish every meal! Hahaha!

Anyway, this recipe is healthier than the traditional beef and. I promise you, the way I cook it tastes so good! The key is in the crunchy texture of the veggies and the creamy (yet less) cheese!

Vegetable Lasagna

What you need:

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Spinach

Fresh basil

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Lasagna noodles

I found Catelli lasagna noodles at our local Korean store (Kang's Leviste St. Salcedo Vill., Makati). It's made from durum wheat, which is more nutritious than white pasta.

Plain tomato sauce

Tip: Since we'll be using a lot of sauce for this recipe, go for plain tomato sauce. I find that the flavored ones have higher sodium content. Plus, we're already topping this recipe with ricotta-flavored sauce.

Barilla ricotta tomato sauce

If you can't find this particular sauce, you can use the regular tomato sauce and just mix in ricotta cheese.

Your choice of vegetables! You can also add eggplant (which I hate),

onion, zucchini, squash, and more!

For this recipe, I used carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, celery...

...fresh white button mushrooms, and spinach (I used frozen ones and microwaved them to thaw them out.)

Fresh basil

Cheese

For a healthier recipe, I recommend using mozarella cheese (made from low-fat milk), medium cheddar, and light cheese

Easy peasy:

This recipe is really easy to make but it needs some prep work. I asked the "Liza 2000" (our amazing house help) to cut the veggies for me. Thank you, Liz!

Cook lasagna noodles. Follow the instructions on the packaging.

Warning: Some lasagna noodles don't requiring boiling. Check the instructions

on the box to be sure.

It depends on your lasagna tray, I used 9 strips of lasagna noodles for this recipe. Remember that the pasta expands when you cook it.

Now the layering begins...

Tomato sauce...

Lasagna noodles... Tomato sauce (spread it all over the pasta)

Broccoli

Tip: Use the sturdier veggies on the bottom to avoid toppling your

lasgana when you cut it.

More layering... Tomato sauce, salt and pepper, then drizzle EVOO on top...

Mozarella... Medium cheddar...

Tip: Of all the cheeses I used, the mild cheddar has the most sodium content and fattening. I only use it with the broccoli layer as broccoli and cheddar go together. The mozarella gives the dish a stringy cheese effect.

Warning: Put. The. Cheese. Down. Believe me, you don't need too much cheese on the layers as the ricotta tomato sauce will add the cheese flavor to this dish.

Top the greens with more pasta...

Next, layer the carrots, bell peppers, celery, mozarella, light cheese, and top it with tomato sauce, salt and pepper...

Add the cabbage (I added the leftover cheddar to this dish—it's very little).....

Add the last batch of lasagna noodles...

Layer in the mushrooms and spinach (I used 3/4 of the box), mozarella, and light cheese...

Top the final layer with Barilla's ricotta cheese sauce.

Bake in medium heat (340 C) for 30-45 mins.

Tip: I bake the lasagna uncovered for 20 minutes so that the veggies don't get watery (from steaming). Then I cover it with foil the last 10-15 minutes.