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Veg Lasagna

It's my signature dish, and I can't believe I never wrote it down! It's my own recipe, and I must have made this a gajjillion times over the years. It's always a hit. Anyways, here it is:

Pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to boil with a good amount of salt. Boil 9 sheets of lasagna noodles, according to the pack instructions. Drain, wash with water and set aside.

Red sauce layer:
Boil pieces of green beans, carrots, and peas with a bit of salt, and drain. Saute quartered cremini mushrooms in a bit of butter, and add to the veggies. Add several table spoons of jarred tomato sauce, a pinch of oregano and a pinch of red chilli flakes.

Ricotta layer:
Mix about half a container ricotta, a big handful of grated parmesan, one small pack of grated Italian cheese, one egg, salt, black pepper, and some fresh, chopped parsley.

White sauce later:
Either saute several cups of chopped spinach, or thaw out one pack of frozen spinach, wring out the water, and saute in a bit of butter. Add frozen corn. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, heat 3 tbsp butter, add 3 tbsp AP flour, cook for a minute or two, then add milk till you get a sauce of thick, but pouring consistency. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the spinach and corn.

Assemble and bake:
Preheat over to 350. Butter a 9X12 glass baking tray. Spread a few spoons of red sauce (this makes sure the pasta doesn't stick). Lay down three sheets of pasta. Spread the red sauce veggie layer. Next, with a small spoon, dollop the ricotta mixture all over the dish, right on top of the veggies. Add three more sheets of pasta. Make sure to slightly overlap them, so the layers don't leak too much. Now add the white sauce layer. Add the last three sheets of pasta. Spread the remaining tomato sauce from the jar, and one small pack of grated mozzarella. Dot with small pieces of butter, and cover with a foil sprayed with oil (so the cheese doesn't stick to the foil). Bake for about half an hour with the foil on, then remove foil, and bake for another half an hour, till the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.


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