Vegetable Lasagna with Red Pepper Sauce

This is another vegetarian lasagna recipe with zucchini squash.

This recipe is more complicated than some of my other lasagna recipes, so if you want to make something fast try the "Zucchini Lasagna" recipe found listed on my blog. If you have about 1 hour of prep time available and 35 minutes of bake time then I am sure you will enjoy this recipe. It serves 6 people.

Ingredients

8 ounces of zucchini, halved and sliced
2 cups of fresh sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
Red Pepper Sauce -- See below for directions

Ingredients for the Red Pepper Sauce

1. In a large skillet cook 3 cups chopped red sweet peppers and 4 whole garlic cloves over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add some olive oil to the mixture to keep it from sticking to the pan.
2. Place the mixture in a blender and blend until nearly smooth. Add 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano). Blend until the mixture is nearly smooth. Return to the skillet and heat through. This should yield about 2 cups of Red Pepper Sauce.

Directions

1. Soak the no-boil lasagna noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, cook zucchini squash, mushrooms, and onion in hot oil over medium heat until the zucchini is tender (about 6 minutes). Drain any liquid that collects in the skillet.

3. In a small bowl stir together the cheeses: ricotta, Parmesan, and the black pepper. In a 2-quart square baking dish, place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom. Trim the noodles if necessary in order to make them fit. Top the noddles with the cheese mixture, half of the vegetable mixture, half of the Red Pepper Sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Continue this layering processes: noodles, cheese, vegetables, and Red Pepper Sauce.

4. At 375 degrees, bake the lasagna uncovered for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the diced tomato. Bake 5-10 minutes more, or until heated through. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe and picture came from the "Better Homes and Gardens" website.