Vegetable Lasagna

A cheesy meatless lasagna made with a vegetable tomato sauce.

servings: 6

total time: 4 hours

recipe by: Frankie

Ingredients

2 TBSP olive oil
3 medium carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
2 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt & freshly ground black pepper
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 tsp dried basil
12 to 15 uncooked lasagna noodles
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

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Directions

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large empty pot over medium-high heat.
Add the carrot, onion, and bell pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened a bit, about 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 cup of water, oregano, crushed red pepper, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the pot and cook, occasionally stirring and breaking up the tomatoes, until it begins to boil rapidly.
Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to medium then cook, occasionally stirring and breaking up the tomatoes, for about 15 minutes.
Take the sauce off the heat and set aside. Sauce will be a little thin, but thats ok because the uncooked noodles will soak up any excess liquid.
In a bowl mix together ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil, and 1/4 tsp salt until well combined.
To assemble the lasagna spread a little bit of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish then cover with a single layer of uncooked noodles, spread on HALF the ricotta mixture, spread on 1/3 of the remaining sauce, top with 1/3 of shredded mozzarella cheese, cover with a layer of noodles, then spread on the remaining ricotta mixture, then spread on HALF the remaining sauce, then sprinkle on HALF the remaining shredded mozzarella, then cover with a layer of noodles, then spread on the rest of the sauce and top with the rest of the mozzarella.
Now pour 1/2 cup of water along the sides of the lasagna and cover tightly with aluminum foil then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Take the lasagna out of the refrigerator and set on the counter then preheat the oven to 425°F.
Keep the lasagna covered in foil and bake the lasagna in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil from the lasagna and continue to bake, uncovered, for about 10 more minutes.
Take the lasagna out of the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.