Last night we had Meghan over for dinner and so I decided to actually cook. Aaron is our cook around here, especially if we have guests, but last night was all up to me. You see I have this favorite lasagna recipe that I always want to cook for people, but we never use it. Last night was the night!
I found this awesome lasagna recipe a few years ago and have brought it out a few times and every time people love it. I love it a lot and I think the cook should at least love what they are cooking! This recipe is dairy free and could easily be gluten free if you used rice noodles for the pasta part. Also it's jam packed with veggies and so you can feel really good about giving this to your kids! Also, don't let the tofu scare you. For a long time I never added it, but I do now and Meghan didn't even know it was in there!
I found the recipe on the Engine 2 Diet page. Which this isn't really a diet, but a lifestyle. They do plant strong foods, and I think they are vegetarian as well. Anyhow, they have great recipes that are easy and good for you!
SWEET POTATO VEGETABLE LASAGNA
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 package Silken Lite tofu
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 2 jars Engine 2 approved pasta sauce
- 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
- 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
- 1 cup raw cashews, ground
PREPARATION:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl. Drain the silken tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
To assemble the vegetable lasagna :
Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.
This recipe is a lot of upfront work, but once it's in the oven you are good to go. I even cut up all the veggies earlier in the day because you know how crazy it is at home during homework time. Trying to prep dinner then with only one parent around is misery!
I also made dessert yesterday and my kids were pumped because we rarely have dessert! This is super easy! Buy some butterfingers, cool whip & a graham cracker crust. Break up all the butterfingers (bang them with a spoon which is a good stress reliever!) and mix them in with the cool whip. Then add that mixture to the crust and put in freezer. So yummy and so NOT healthy one bit.
There is a dinner night right there for you! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. You can't really screw it up so you are good!
