Meat & Veggie Loaded Lasagna

When I say that this is the best cheese-less lasagna out there, I really mean it. For the longest time after I became dairy free, I thought that eating the lasagna was completely out of the question for me. With all the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, even parmesan in some recipes, I didn’t even think of coming up with my own recipe for the longest time, thinking it would just end up being way too plain. After a while I started thinking about the different things I’d add to a lasagna dish if I made one. Mushroom and spinach were at the top of my list, and eventually I realized I could come up with a great lasagna recipe, that wouldn’t leave me missing the cheese at all! I ended up using a vegan mozzarella & parmesan cheese to make it feel more original. However, if you aren’t following a dairy free diet, you can easily use real mozzarella. I ended up making an additional lasagna using real cheese for my brother and dad. They loved the flavor and filling of the ground meat and veggies so much, that the whole dish was gone by the next day!

Make it Gluten Free: Substitute the regular lasagna noodles with gluten free brown rice lasagna noodles. My recommended brand is Jovial which can usually be found at Kroger & Whole Foods stores.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box of lasagna noodles
• 1 (30 oz.) can of tomato sauce
• ½ sweet onion – chopped
• 2 garlic cloves – pressed
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of dried basil
• 1 ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 (8 oz.) package of mushrooms - cleaned
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 yellow squash – thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini – thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes – chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 package of Follow Your Heart Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 container of Follow Your Heart Vegan Parmesan Shreds

STEPS

1)      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2)      In a large pot, cook the lasagna noodles according to the packaging instructions

3)      Heat a large pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, over medium-low heat, and add ½ chopped onion and 2 pressed garlic cloves, and cook until onion is translucent (about 2 minutes).

4)      Add the can of tomato sauce to the pan, stir in salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a slow boil.

5)      Add the mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, & chopped tomato and simmer for 15 minutes. Add about 2 cups of spinach to the pan at the end, and stir until completely wilted.

6)      In a separate pan, cook the ground beef, draining any excess fat. Once fully cooked, add ground beef into the pan with the marinara sauce, and mix to combine.

8)      Grease a 12 by x 16 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

9)      Spread a 1 cup of sauce at the bottom of the baking dish.

10)   Place 3 lasagna sheets on the bottom of the pan, slightly overlapping.

11)   Add 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce across the lasagna sheets, and then add about a 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella & ¼ cup of Parmesan across the marinara layer.

12)   Repeat two more times.

13)   Cover top layer with 1 cup of marinara sauce and sprinkle ½ cup of mozzarella & 1/3 cup of Parmesan on top.

14)   Cover the baking sheet with foil & bake for 30 minutes.

15)   Serve immediately, and enjoy!