Vegetable Lasagna

Ya’ll remember that David Powter song “Bad Day”? You have to. It was every tween & teenage girl’s MySpace song at some point in their dramatic youth.

Since I can’t make it my MySpace song anymore (I wish I could, I just forgot the password around 2010), I just blasted it on repeat yesterday.

Just a suckfest of a day. One of those where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed & no amount of black coffee can cure your resting bitch face.

So I did the only thing that helps my mood – cooked a giant lasagna. My oh my this sucker was good. Very light (is that possible?) and very little cheese (compared to your mama’s lasagna).

If you’re pissy like me, turn up the emo pop of the mid-2000’s & get to cooking.

Time: 1 hour 25 minutes (prep + cooking) | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

8 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp. of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 cup of cauliflower, chopped
1 cup of packed spinach
1 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. of italian breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tsp. of crushed red pepper
1 tsp. of italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. of oregano
S+P, to taste

How to:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Cook noodles according to package directions, set aside
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat
Add onion + garlic, cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes
Add peppers + cauliflower + crushed red pepper + italian seasoning + oregano + S+P, cook until veggies are tender, about 6 minutes
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta + egg
Once combined, add the spinach + stir
In a greased baking dish, add a little bit of tomato sauce, just enough to barely cover it
Lay 4 noodles on the bottom of the dish
In an even layer, add half of the spinach mixture
Add half of the veggies
Add half of the parmesan cheese
Add some sauce
Lay another 4 noodles down and repeat layering process
Add the final 4 noodles and top with remaining sauce + mozzarella + breadcrumbs
Cover + cook for 40 minutes
Uncover + cook for another 10 or until golden & bubbly
Eat it all cause it’s all vegetables & they’re good for you