Veggie Lasagna

Lasagna on Valentine's Day for Matt was a tradition growing up. Every Valentine's Day, his Mom would transform her kitchen into Swaininis just for the occasion. The first year we were married, Matt surprised me with a homemade lasagna dinner for two that he made. Only being married several months, I wasn't aware of the extent of his culinary skills, so I went digging through the trash to make sure he hadn't popped a frozen lasagna in the oven! (He hadn't.) Anyway, this year I couldn't forego the long-standing Swain tradition just because we are now eating for long-term health, so I tinkered around and came up with this fantastic version which we'll probably repeat more often than just on Valentine's Day.

1 recipe Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
½ cup fat free ricotta cheese
2 egg whites
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 large red pepper, sliced thin
1 large green pepper, sliced thin
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles (the kind that you don't have to boil ahead of time are great!)
6 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese

Prepare the Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce. Combine spinach through parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Sauté the zucchini and peppers in the olive oil until veggies are soft. You favorite combination of veggies can be substituted here. Make sure to prepare enough to form two layers of the lasagna.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

To assemble the lasagna:
First coat the bottom of a 9x13 in. casserole dish with sauce. Then place a layer of noodles. Now layer with half of the zucchini and peppers, 2 oz. mozzarella cheese, and cover with more sauce. Next, place another layer of noodles followed by all of the spinach mixture and another layer of sauce. Follow this with the third layer of noodles, the remaining zucchini and peppers, 2 more ounces of mozzarella cheese and another thin layer of sauce. The last layer consists of one more layer of noodles, a generous layer of sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until heated through 30-35 minutes. Serve with a garden salad, crusty bread and fresh strawberries for dessert. Enjoy!

Veggie Packed Pasta Sauce

I started making my own spaghetti sauce way back in 2001 when we first moved to Spain. In fact, I started making a lot of thing back then. . . Anyway, over time, my sauce has improved from a rather watery concoction flecked with bits of Italian seasoning to a robust, flavorful, and nutritious sauce with lots of body. Whenever I feel like the girls are lacking in veggies, I make this and know with confidence that they are getting the vitamins and minerals they need.

One medium onion, chopped
3-4 medium carrots , chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
One red bell pepper, cut into chunks

Sauté all of the above in ¼ cup olive oil. Once the onions and peppers are soft, add 2 tsp. parsley, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or when available ¼ cup fresh chopped basil). In the summer when I have fresh basil growing, I always choose the basil - it makes a fantastic sauce.

Then add one large can of tomato sauce, and one large can chopped tomatoes (drained) and ½ tsp. salt. Let all this simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, then blend it all up to your desired consistency with a hand immersion blender. Since my girls are not fond of chunks, I blend up everything till it's pretty smooth.

Enjoy!!