You will not miss the protein in this meatless lasagna; it has plenty of protein from ricotta cheese, spinach, and the whole-wheat pasta, about 15 grams per portion in fact. Just about any lasagna follows the same procedures; you have multiple layers of sauce, lasagna noodles, cheese, meat, or vegetables and so on with the top cheese melted for a luscious delight.
This recipe modified a bit in that we added a few ingredients such as celery, garlic, and parsley, along with extra zucchini, and doubled the mozzarella quantity, and we use whole-wheat pasta in place of regular as originally called for from the meatless main dish recipe found on page 72 in the Weight Watchers Simple and Classic Home Cooking cookbook.
| Ingredients | ||
| 1 | Tbsp | Olive oil, extra virgin |
| 1 ½ | Cups | Onions, diced |
| 1 | Cup | Celery, diced |
| 8 | Cloves | Garlic, minced |
| 1 | Tbsp | Italian seasoning blend |
| 3 ½ | Cups | Zucchini, sliced (3 medium) |
| 2 | Cups | Mushrooms, sliced |
| 1 | Cup | Dry white wine, divided |
| ½ | Tsp | Garlic salt |
| ½ | Tsp | White pepper, ground |
| 2 | Cups | Ricotta cheese, part skim |
| 1 | Lb. | Spinach, steamed, drained, and chopped (cooked weight) |
| 2 | Tbsp | Basil, fresh chopped |
| ½ | Cup | Parsley, fresh chopped |
| 3 | Cups | Fire roasted tomato sauce (see recipe link) |
| 1 | Lb. | Whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente, chilled and drained |
| 2 | Cups | Mozzarella cheese, part skim, shredded |
| Cooking spray | ||
| Procedure Steps Note: Pre-heat oven to 350° F. | |
| 1. | Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat then add the onions and celery and stir well and cook until soft, then add the garlic and stir well. Add the Italian seasoning, zucchini and mushrooms and continue to stir add cook until soft. |
| 2. | Add ½ of the white wine and allow cooking down until almost dry, then season with the salt and white pepper and reserve for assembly. |
| 3. | Meanwhile, combine the ricotta cheese with the cooked and drained chopped spinach, basil, and parsley; be sure to mix well until smooth and evenly blended. |
| 4. | Combine the fire roasted tomato sauce with the remaining ½ cup of dry white wine. |
| 5. | Begin layering the ingredients in a 13×9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, then ladle just enough tomato sauce to lightly coat the bottom. Layer 3 of the lasagna noodles then top with 1/3 of the cheese/spinach mixture, then layer 1/3 of the zucchini and mushroom mixture, then add 1/3 of the sauce. Continue with 3 more lasagna noodles, cheese/spinach mix, zucchini/mushroom mix, and sauce. On the next two layers, use 4 noodles each. Top with remaining tomato sauce then cover the dish tightly with foil or a lid. |
| 6. | Bake in the 350° F oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn up the heat to 400° F. Uncover the dish and sprinkle evenly with the 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and return to oven and bake, uncovered for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting. |
| Serves 15 portions | |
13 responses so far ↓
1 Zada // Mar 26, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Fabulous recipe….and if you like meat..add it! This is the type of dish that is great for couples or singles…just freeze the proper size portion & you have ready made HOME cooked meals for the busy days!
2 Jessie // Mar 26, 2010 at 1:27 pm
I love veggie lasagna! This recipe sounds really tasty with all those flavorful veggies
3 Estela @ Weekly Bite // Mar 26, 2010 at 2:08 pm
This looks delicious! I love spinach in my lasagna!
4 5 Star Foodie // Mar 26, 2010 at 3:02 pm
The veggie lasagna sounds excellent, healthy and delicious!
5 Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes // Mar 26, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I am loving meatless dinners lately and this lasagna looks fits greatly with my diet. 🙂 I tried making roll up lasagna not too long ago with portobella mushrooms. Yum!
6 Gera @ SweetsFoodsBlog // Mar 26, 2010 at 6:35 pm
One of my favorite dishes, love this vegetarian version, yum yum!
Cheers,
Gera
7 pegasuslegend // Mar 26, 2010 at 6:39 pm
wow!!! what a nice thick lasagna this is! looks wonderfully delicious….would love some right now~
8 redkathy // Mar 26, 2010 at 8:10 pm
I love veges and lasagna Ryan. This is certainly a hit with me! The whole wheat noodles are perfect in this. Have a great weekend.
9 Cookin' Canuck // Mar 27, 2010 at 12:01 am
I appreciate that you included so many healthy options in this lasagna. It looks hearty and delicious!
10 MaryMoh // Mar 27, 2010 at 2:27 am
My children love lasagne. I’m sure they will like this…looks delicious!
11 Ingeborg // Mar 27, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Lovely recipe, Ryan. When I’m back on my feet, I’ll certainly make this recipe.
12 Chef Aimee // Mar 28, 2010 at 6:59 pm
When I made veggie lasagna this week I seriously decided I like it more than meat lasagna!
13 zerrin // Mar 29, 2010 at 5:38 am
It looks so tempting! I love how it’s layered and the melted cheese on the top makes it irresistible!