Vegetarian (Healthy) Lasagna

As a vegetarian, I am always trying to look for some exciting recipes to try. COOKIE & Kate have loads of delicious recipes for vegetarians.

One of my favorite recipes is the healthy vegetarian lasagna recipe. YUM!

Original recipe: Best Vegetable Lasagna Recipe – Cookie and Kate

INGREDIENTS

Veggies and spinach:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 400g baby spinach

Tomato sauce:

  • 1 large can (400g) diced tomatoes
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil + additional for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (I use less garlic, about a quarter clove)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Remaining ingredients:

  • 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • No-boil lasagna noodles/sheets
  • 2 cups freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese

METHOD

The cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. To prepare the veggies: In a large pan warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the onions and fry the onions for a few minutes. Then add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini 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 cooked down. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
  4. Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.
  5. Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (you should have a little over 2 cups sauce). Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine.
  6. Pour half of 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.
  7. 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.

How to assemble the lasagna:

  1. Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Wrap a sheet of tinfoil over the dish. 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.
  5. 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.

Tips:

  • I use half the cheese that the recipe recommends (1 cup only).
  • I use more lasagna sheets than recommended. I layer the sheets to cover the length and broadness of the dish I assemble and bake the lasagna in.
  • Serve with a fresh salad and some fresh bread (I love French loaf with the dish).
  • Remember to run on the day you indulge in this recipe 😊