VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

Ingredients
- 16 oz of Marisol's Homemade Meat Crumbles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water (for water saute)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 carrots (2 cups), diced
- 1 zucchini (2 cups), diced
- 1 yellow squash (2 cups), diced
- 8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or thyme, basil or marjoram), optional
- 1 package (10 – 12 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 jar (25 – 28 oz.) pasta sauce, about 3 cups
- 9 lasagna noodles (approx.), regular or no-boil
- 2 cups vegan ricotta (Cashew Ricotta Cheese or Tofu Ricotta)
- salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
- Oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Marisol's Homemade Beef: Defrost 16oz of Marisol's Homemade Bolognese Sauce until thawed out. In a skillet heat oil and add Marisol's Bolognese until warm.
- Noodles: Cook noodles according to package directions, set aside. If using no-boil lasagna noodles as I did there is no need to cook first
- Sauté Veggies: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic, sauté for about 5 minutes. Add carrots, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, herbs/seasonings and good pinch of salt and pepper, continue to saute for another 5 – 7 minutes. You don’t need to saute the zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms too much, you want their juices to fully release while baking. Remove from heat.
- Spinach Ricotta: Mix together the cashew ricotta and spinach, mix well.
- Assemble & Layer: Using a large rectangular baking dish (9 x 12) place about 1/3 cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish spreading to coat, add a layer of pasta, top with 1/2 ricotta cheese and 1/2 vegetables. Add another layer of pasta, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, then the rest of the ricotta, then vegetables. Add one more layer of pasta and top with the remaining sauce. Cover with lid, small silpat or foil.
- Bake: Cover and bake on the center rack for 40 minutes. Let rest covered for 5 minutes, remove cover and let cool 10 minutes. If not using no-boil noodles, you can remove the cover halfway through for a baked look.
- To Serve: Add a sprinkle of Almond Parmesan and a bit of freshly chopped basil overtop.
