Last week we had a bunch of vegetables and really yummy parmesan cheese (thank you, Trader Joe’s) in the fridge, and I was hankering for some comfort food in the form of veggie lasagna.

I didn’t really use a recipe, so it’s going to be hard to give exact measurements, but this is basically how we did it:

My sous chef, Slip, did some preparations before I got home. He began by slicing 2 zuchinni and 2 yellow squash and placing them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh thyme, and roasting them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Next, in a pan on the stove top he added a little olive oil, garlic, onions, and portabella mushrooms. When I got home all of these veggies were cooked up. He also soaked some no-boil lasagna noodles in warm water for 15 minutes.

Using a glass baking dish I started my layers. First was a thin layer of canned diced tomatoes (I used a big 32-ounce can throughout the dish), followed by the zuchinni and squash and a layer of noodles. I topped the noodles with a sprinkling of lowfat mozarella and some of the mushroom mixture. Next I placed some dollops of lowfat ricotta cheese (I used only 1 1/2 cups throughout the entire dish) and some frozen spinach. Then repeat. At the end you will probably have three of these layers. Finish off with another layer of noodles and top with some mozarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 until bubbling and crisp on top, 25-30 minutes.

Mmmmmm, I love lasagna.

Thanks for coming over and enjoying with us Josh and D! Bon appetit.

A few weeks ago I felt in the mood for a good lasagna, and did something out of the box with this dish. It was amazingly delicious, kind of like a tasty mix of chicken pot pie and pasta. I didn’t even think of the fact that one pan of lasagna is way too much food for just Slip and me, so I even got to invite friends over the share the yummy!

Chicken and Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
12 lasagna noodles
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shredded carrots
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chopped frozen spinach
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place lasagna noodles in a pan. Fill pan with hot water and drizzle with olive oil so noodles soak while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a saucepan whisk together chicken broth, flour, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. of basil and oregano. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and allow mixture to simmer while preparing chicken and vegetables.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, 1/4 tsp. of basil and oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until chicken is cooked through (5-7 minutes). Move chicken to a plate.
4. In the same skillet melt the butter, then add chopped onion, carrots, and garlic (and chopped bell peppers, if desired!) Cook until vegetables are tender, 5-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and spinach and cook until heated through. Return chicken to skillet.
5. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spread a scant cup of the thickened chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/3 of chicken and vegetable mixture over noodles. Top with 1/3 of thickened broth (about 2 cups), followed by 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat twice, ending with mozzarella cheese. Top with one more layer of noodles and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until lasagna is bubbly and top is golden brown.

This was so good! If you are vegetarian you could omit the chicken, add more veggies, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Bon appetit!