We may get disowned for this, but we’re prepared to give you our mother’s vegetarian lasagne recipe if you promise you won’t immediately email her and rat us out. It’s a recipe that for years, has literally made us salivate when we think about it. In fact, we are drooling as we type this.

In my teens, I decided to become a vegetarian. I saw a truck with pigs on it being brought to a slaughter house, and for 5 years I refused to consume meat. This became a challenge for my mother, as she wanted to make sure I ate healthy and was eating the proper nutrients, while still allowing my father and brother to consume all of the meat their little hearts desired.

She created a vegetarian lasagna that was so out of this world that even the dudes in my family craved it, and ate A LOT of it when it was served for dinner.

It’s a staple we’ve made for everyone we love, and now we are going to share it with you. Don’t tell mom.

Ingredients

One package of lasagna pasta
One can diced tomato
One package of pre-washed/sliced mushrooms
One pack of spinach
One container of ricotta cheese (use low-fat to cut the calories)
Two zucchini
One head of broccoli – cut up (or one package of pre-cut broccoli floret’s)
One package of shredded mozzarella (skim milk to cut calories)
One package Parmesan cheese
Minced garlic
Salt/Pepper
Italian Seasoning
9×13″ Pyrex pan

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees

2. Prepare the veggies. Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces, but not TOO small. Cut your zucchini into about 1/4″ thick circles. Wash/rinse spinach if not already done. Wash/rinse/chop mushrooms if not already done. Set aside.

3. Make sauce. Add one can of diced tomato to a medium sauce pan. Add in 2 tsp minced garlic (or more if you love garlic!), one tbsp italian seasoning (or parsley, oregano, basil, if you have them separately) plus salt and pepper to taste. You cant really go wrong with the seasoning, so be heavy handed with it if you’d like. Or use a recipe you already love! Leave this on a low heat while you move into the next steps, stirring every now and then to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn the bottom of the pan.

4. Boil the lasagna pasta. Follow the instructions on the box! Voila!

5. Prepare the cheese. Mix together the full container of ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/2 Parmesan cheese. Add in 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, a tsp of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

6. Add a layer of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 9×13″ Pyrex pan. Put one layer of pasta on the bottom. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture on top of pasta, plus some sauce, and add in a bit of each veggie. Don’t be shy with it! Pack those veggies in. Repeat this step until you reach the top of the pan. The last layer should be pasta. Before putting it in the oven, cover the last pasta layer with whatever is left of your mozzarella, and sprinkle some Parmesan on top.