Uncle Bills Vegetarian Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• For the sauce: Put the olive oil and garlic in a medium pot over low heat. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally at first and more often as it colors, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-low, add the onions and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, basil sprig, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt, raise the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a lively simmer. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until quite thick (if you draw a spoon through the sauce, you'll see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the sauce fills back in), about 30 minutes. As the sauce thickens, turn the heat down a bit so the bottom doesn't scorch. Stir in the chopped basil. Let cool to room temperature before assembling the lasagna. (Makes 1 quart.)
• To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Squeeze the spinach in your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Put it in a large bowl, and stir in the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the egg, 1 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg.
• Spread 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lay 3 lasagna noodles across the sauce (they won't touch). Spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce on top. Dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture (about 1 cup) across the sauce, and use the back of a spoon to spread it (it will smush into the tomato sauce, which is fine). Scatter 1 cup of the mozzarella on top.
• Repeat the layering 2 more times. Top with the last 3 noodles, spread the last 3/4 cup tomato sauce over them and scatter the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray, and cover the baking dish.
• Bake until the noodles are soft and the cheese has melted, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the cheese is bubbling and the lasagna is slightly browned around the edges, about 15 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a large bowl combine spinach, ricotta cheese, eggs, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
• In a deep 9x13 lasagna pan, add a few oz of the pasta sauce to lightly coat the bottom. Add 3 lasagna noodles to cover the bottom of the pan with out overlapping the noodles.
• Add half the ricotta/spinach mixture by dolloping it onto the noodles, sprinkle zucchini, tomato slices, broccoli, onion, mushrooms and bell pepper slices. Add 20 or so oz (the rest of the first jar of pasta sauce), covering the veggies.
• On the next layer, add 3 more lasagna noodles, the other half of the spinach and ricotta mixture, the rest of the veggies, and half a jar of pasta sauce.
• Then, to finish it off, layer the remaining lasagna noodles, the rest of the pasta sauce, and the parmigiano-reggiano cheese as well as the mozzarella.
• Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Let sit for 10 minutes after removing from oven to allow liquids to be reabsorbed by veggies.
• NOTE: As mentioned in the comments, this is a very thick lasagna and there is often a lot of liquid in the pan. It is best to let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes after removing from the oven to let it absorb some of the liquid. Adding salt to remove liquid as suggested is a great idea if you plan on eating the entire lasagna the day it is made/soon after. However, this lasagna freezes and reheats VERY well and that is largely because the excess liquid when it is originally made helps keep the lasagna moist after being reheated in the microwaving process. Another way to reduce the amount of liquid is to use the type of noodles that you don't have to pre-cook, however, I prefer the texture of the ones that need precooking.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Set aside.
• While the water comes to a boil, prepare the ricotta filling: In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, 1/3 cup parsley, cream, beaten egg and nutmeg. Fold in 2 cups mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Once the water comes to a boil, season it generously with salt, then cook the noodles just until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. (The noodles shouldn't be fully cooked so they hold up after baking.) Transfer the cooked noodles to a colander and rinse immediately under cold water. Drizzle with oil immediately and toss to coat to prevent sticking.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spoon about 1 cup sauce into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Top with one layer of lasagna noodles, trimming the noodles as needed. (They can overlap slightly, but should be trimmed if the overlap is significant.) Dollop a heaping 3/4 cup ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, and spread in an even layer. Pour 1 cup sauce on top, and spread in an even layer. Repeat with 3 more layers of noodles, ricotta and sauce. Top with one final layer of noodles, then a final layer of sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining mozzarella, then the Parmesan.
• Cover the lasagna tightly with aluminum foil and bake until warmed through and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and broil on the top rack until browned in spots, about 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, then let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying, add ground beef and fry until cooked, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Drain off any fat and discard.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to frying pan, chopped onions and garlic and saute' for 5 minutes.
• Add chopped celery, diced green and red peppers, sliced mushrooms, chopped zucchini, and saute' until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add grated carrots, cover and cook until carrots are limp, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer this mixture to a large cooking pot.
• Add tomatoes including liquid, tomato sauce, parsley, hot pepper flakes and allspice and heat to boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Blend in wine and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• FILLING: Squeeze water from spinach and discard.
• Chop spinach small.
• In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, beaten egg, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, mix well and set aside.
• TO ASSEMBLE: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Use a 10" x 14" x 2" deep, heavy duty aluminum foil baking dish.
• Layer about 1/2" of prepared sauce over the bottom.
• Place enough lasagna sheets to cover area and press lightly into sauce.
• Layer another 1/2" of prepared sauce.
• Place lasagna sheets over and press lightly into sauce.
• Add spinach filling and level.
• Place lasagna sheets over and press lightly into filling.
• Add another layer of lasagna sheets.
• Layer another 1/2" of prepared sauce over.
• Place another layer of lasagna sheets and press lightly into sauce.
• Add the remaining sauce over and level.
• Sprinkle top generously with grated mozzarella cheese.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese over.
• If desired, grate a 1/2 cup of Emmentaler Swiss cheese and sprinkle over top.
• Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil being careful not to let foil touch the lasagna.
• Bake in preheated 450 F oven for 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 425 degrees F.
• Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
• Remove from oven, cover and let sit to set for about 5 minutes before cutting.
• Cut into pieces and serve hot.
• Ondine Delverde Lasagna is a brand name and is sold in packages of 15 lasagna sheets and also 3- 8" x 8" aluminum foil pans.
• You can use these pans if desired.
• This lasagna is pre-cooked and does not require any cooking before hand.
• They now make fresh lasagna sheets that do not require pre-cooking.
• You may also use lasagna strips but you will require cooking these.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in plant-based sausage, meat substitute crumbles, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, 1 tablespoon parsley, sugar, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles; cook 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse noodles with cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, stir together egg, ricotta, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
• To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 of the sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over sauce. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake, covered with cooking spray-coated foil, for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes more. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing into 12 equal servings.