Ash Wednesday - Vegetable Lasagna

Ash Wednesday is the day Lent begins. It occurs forty days before Good Friday. The official name of Ash Wednesday is “Day of Ashes.” The reason the day became known as Ash Wednesday is that it is forty days before Good Friday, so it will always fall on a Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is also a typical day for fasting in many Christian sects. This is most common in Catholicism. People may abstain from any food prior to attending the Ash Wednesday service, and generally abstain from meat for the rest of the day.

I have been looking for a meatless dish that would still be filling and that the kids would love and remembered that I used to make a Vegetable Lasagna that everyone enjoyed. Here is my favorite recipe I hope you all love it!





Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients
12 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 small zucchini, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
24 ounces ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided


Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3.Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add broccoli, carrots, onions, bell peppers, zucchini and garlic. Saute for 7 minutes; set aside.

4.Place flour in a medium saucepan and gradually whisk in milk until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Reserve 1/2 cup spinach mixture. In a small bowl combine cottage and ricotta cheeses; stir well.

5.Spread about 1/2 cup of spinach mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, vegetables, spinach mixture and 2 cups mozzarella cheese, ending with noodles. Top with reserved spinach mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

6.Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving.