Vegetarian Lovers Lasagna

This cheesy lasagna is chock full of colorful vegetables and whole-wheat noodles. I used soy-based sausage for a heartier meal, although you could easily mix in some ground turkey or lean beef. Lasagnas are great to make on the weekends because they take a little more prep time and leftovers heat up easily the next day. Make a couple extra portions of this for some quick reheat meals in the coming week. Most people stay away form lasagnas because of the saturated fat and carbs. I cut down on the usual amount of cheese, by only using some shredded Mozzarella cheese on the top, rather than mixing ricotta cheese with the filling on each layer. Too much cheese can overpower the dish and I really like to taste the flavors of each vegetable. A sprinkling of cheese melted on the top layer is perfect, making this meal completely guiltless and heart-healthy. To cut down on some cooking time, buy no-boil lasagna from your local grocery store. The dry noodles cook up in the oven from the moisture of the sauce, so make sure you cover each noodle with a generous amount of sauce. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Lovers Lasagna

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat with garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add mushrooms, carrots and zucchini until vegetables  are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in soy crumbles and heat for another minute.
3. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
4. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Top with half the vegetable mixture and one-third of the remaining tomatoes. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining vegetables, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella.
5. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, about 20-25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.