Veggie Lasagna

My department at work is fairly small, and approximately half of us are vegetarians or prefer to eat vegetarian food when possible. So, when I agreed to make the main dish at our holiday party, I had to come up with something that would please meat eaters and vegetarians alike. I made The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna (delicious!) for the meat eaters and an adapted version for the vegetarians. It was delicious, and I'm glad because I'm still eating the leftovers I froze (I made two full-size lasagnas and 12 people showed up - the meat eaters took home leftovers, but the vegetarians not so much).

Here's my adaptation:

Veggie Lasagna

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables - I got the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot version

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar spaghetti sauce - I used a roasted garlic tomato sauce

1/4 c. chopped basil

1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 c. ricotta

2 whole beaten eggs

1/2 c. grated parmesan

4 c. mozzarella

1 pkg. no-boil lasagna noodles (you'll use about 1/2 a package)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Slightly thaw the frozen mixed vegetables and chop into small pieces. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and bell pepper and sautee until the onion is transparent. Add in garlic and sautee for 30 seconds more. Add in the chopped frozen vegetables and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the meantime, mix together the basil, parsley, ricotta and eggs. Set aside.

Spread a little of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Add in a layer of noodles (I think I used 3 across, so it didn't totally cover the bottom of the pan, but that's fine.) Top with a layer of veggies, a layer of the ricotta mixture, a layer of sauce, and a layer of mozzarella. Repeat the layers one more time, ending with the mozzarella, and then sprinkle the parmesan over the top. Bake for 60 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!