How To Make Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna

This is a rich lasagna, full of cheese and vegetables. When you make it, you can get all the health benefits of the vegetables, and yet have all the cheesy goodness and tastiness to make your tastebuds sigh happily. Who says lasagna always has to be the classic bolognese/bechamel combo? Not us, for sure!

Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 heads fresh broccoli
• 2 carrots
• 1 large onion
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 small zucchini
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 (8 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
• 24 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375° F/190°C.
Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.

Trim the broccoli and cut it into small pieces.
Peel the carrots and slice them thinly.
Chop the onion.
Core the peppers and chop them.
Trim the zucchini and slice it.
Peel and chop the garlic.
Squeeze the liquid out of frozen chopped spinach.

Boil a large pot of lightly salted water.
Add lasagna noodles and cook them for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
Drain and rinse the noodles and set them aside.

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Add broccoli, carrots, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and garlic.
Cook while stirring often for 7-10 minutes until the vegetables soften, and set aside.

Put the flour in a medium saucepan and whisk in the milk gradually until it is well blended.
Bring to a boil over the medium heat, and cook for 5 minutes, or until it thickens, mixing constantly.
Whisk in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute, mixing constantly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add in the spinach.
Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside.

Mix the cottage and ricotta cheeses in a bowl until they are blended well.

Coat the bottom of the casserole dish with the spinach mixture.
Put half of the lasagna noodles evenly on top of it.
Spread the cheese mixture on top of the noodles evenly.
Put the vegetables on top, and then the rest of the spinach mixture.
Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese on top and cover with the rest of the noodles.
Top with the reserved spinach mixture.
Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top, together with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 35 minutes.

Tips and ideas:

You can use different vegetable combinations to change up this lasagna by your taste.

Images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eV0C1hzqBo