[tazlah]

For a traditional Veggie Lasagna...

1 pkg. lasagna (about 9 noodles)
2 med. zucchini
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 lg. pkg. Mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups shredded)
1 lg. bucket Ricotta cheese (or 3 sm. containers 8 oz. each)
1 lg. can tomato sauce
1 white onion
8 oz Pkg. fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 green pepper
Olive oil

1. Cook lasagna noodles as directed.

2. Slice zucchini, saute lightly and set aside.

3. Saute chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil. Add chopped green pepper and sliced mushrooms and sauté until soft. Add sauce to pan. Let simmer.

4. Mix Ricotta cheese and defrosted spinach in bowl. You can add 1 egg and some milk to make creamy.

5. Layer sauce in bottom of pan, then noodles, more sauce, zucchini, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella, noodles, sauce, etc. Top layer should be: noodles, sauce, Ricotta, Mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil, place foil on cookie sheet under pan to catch boil over. Bake at 350° F for about 1 hour. Let set 15-20 minutes before cutting.

***** Or you can try it with a Mexican Twist (No, not with Tequila!!! )

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

1 (15-ounce) can pinto, pink or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can diced crushed tomatoes
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1 clove finely minced garlic
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
2 C. frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 scallions, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. dried oregano
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 C. grated Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream, optional

Preheat oven to 400°F.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, chiles, corn, scallions, cumin and oregano; mix thoroughly.

2. Oil a 2-quart baking dish (9" x 13") and line with 4 tortillas, overlapping if necessary.
Spread half of bean mixture in a layer over tortillas. Sprinkle with half of the
cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beans and cheese.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 1 or 2 minutes, then cut into squares to serve. Top each serving with a dollop sour cream if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Most of all -- Enjoy these hearty, meatless meals!

taz

[newshog]

Hey, those look pretty dang good! Thanks a million, tazlah--I'm going to copy 'em and print them out once I'm somewhere near a printer (I'm in @#$&! Cowboy country for a workshop, which explains my horrifying silence 'til now).

I especially like the look of the Mexican one, though I'll probably have to try it with Tequila just to be on the safe side.

Thanks for the recipes--I'll have to letcha know how they turn out.

[woohit56]

wow that looks great. I'm going to try to make this. haha. I dislike zucchini though what can I sub for that, I wonder. thanks for the recipe. im a novice cook so some of those tips are real helpful.

[tazlah]

Hi Woohit56 -- I ususally substitute Zucchinis for Eggplants because I don't like Eggplant, so if you are okay with Eggplant, I'd try it with that! Or, you could try slices of portabello mushrooms. Of course, you could just skip that layer all together -- that's the fun part of cooking, approaching it with reckless abandonment and seeing what the outcome ends up being!

Regardless -- enjoy!
tazlah

[woohit56]

haha. thanks for the tips. the mushrooms sound much better to me. 'reckless abandonment'