Lasagna Love

I love, and I mean LOVE, meat and veggie lasagna. Love. But if my kiddos - who are usually good veggie eaters – see green and yellow squash chunks in lasagna they will pick around them. I think it’s on principle. My daughter is a bit of a pasta purist.

 So: I borrowed this little veggie cheat that I learned while teaching with Cooking Matters. In one of their recipes, they grate veggies and mix them with cheese to put in quesadillas. All kids love quesadillas, ergo: all kids will unknowingly eat grated veggies. I tried this out with my lasagna recipe – instead of chopping the zucchini and yellow squash, I grated it and mixed it with the mozzarella. After it’s baked I can’t even tell it’s there!! Healthier comfort food? YES PLEASE!

This is the lasagna I’ve been making and dropping off to mamas who need a little extra help during the time of coronavirus. So the name isn’t just about my love of lasagna - it’s about lasagna as a tool of love. If you want to support the cause, click here to donate to the grocery fund.

Ingredients

Sauce (Now let’s be fair. If you don’t have two hours to make your own sauce, buy a few jars of your favorite pre-made sauce and skip down to the rest of the ingredients.)

Olive oil

2 lbs ground beef, turkey, or mix (I use half and half)

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic

2 14.5oz or 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 24 oz jar of tomato sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1/3 cup water

1 tbl agave

1 ½ tsp salt

Pepper, to taste

For assembly

1 box no-boil lasagna noodles

16 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 zucchini, grated

1 yellow squash grated

Step 1

In a large pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the beef and turkey, breaking it up into small bits. Cook until the meat is browned. Add in the onion and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 2

Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Mix thoroughly, as the tomato paste tends to stay in one clump. Add the agave, salt, and pepper. Simmer for an hour and a half, stirring every 10-15 minutes to prevent the bottom from burning.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 375º. Mix the ricotta and egg mixture together.

Step 4

Mix the shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Reserve one third of the mixture for the topping. To the other two thirds, add the grated zucchini and yellow squash.

Step 5

It’s layer time! In a 9x13 pan, put:

1 ½ cups of sauce

1 layer of noodles

½ of the ricotta mix

½ of the cheese and veggie mix

1 ½ cups of sauce

Another layer of noodles

The last ½ of the ricotta mix

The last ½ of the cheese and veggie mix

1 ½ cups of sauce

Another layer of noodles

Another 1 ½ cups of sauce

The reserved mozzarella and parmesan mix

Step 6

Cover with foil, tenting it so that it doesn’t stick to the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes with the foil, then remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes until the top is golden and a little bubbly. Let it cool, then enjoy!