I sure do love a good lasagna, how about you? I was an avid Stouffer’s fan for a looooong time, but since I’ve started cooking more from scratch, I’ve tried to find some great Copycat recipes. It’s not easy, you know. There are way too many “Copycat” recipes out there that aren’t even CLOSE to being like the real deal. Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) has a fantastic {meat and sauce} lasagna that is way better than any frozen one you’ve ever had. I dare say it’s better than any other homemade lasagna you’ve ever had. She calls it the “Best Lasagna. Ever.” and she’s totally right. However, as much as I love Ree’s recipes, I wasn’t particularly fond of her Veggie Lasagna. 🙁 I tried about 4 recipes before I found this one by Rachel Recommends. I tweaked it just a tad to fit in a 9×13 pan and made up my own crumb topping instead of using Shake & Bake.Easy Tip Alert: This would be a wonderful recipe to double and freeze the second batch! You would have a GREAT weeknight meal ready for next time!Five Cheese Veggie Lasagna Ingredients:
1 lb. lasagna noodles
5-6 carrots, very finely chopped
2 C spinach, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6+ Tablespoons butter , divided
4 heaping Tablespoons flour
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 C vegetable broth
1/2 C Milk
1 1/2 C Heavy Cream
½ C Ricotta cheese
½ C Parmesan cheese , shredded
½ C Romano cheese , shredded
½ C Asiago cheese, shredded
½ C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 C crushed Ritz crackers
2 teaspoons TexJoy Steak seasoning (or steak seasoning of your choice)
2 teaspoons Parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste Directions:
Preheat oven 375°F.
Bring a large pot water to boil. Add a little bit of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking together. Add lasagna noodles and cook until al dente as package instructs. (About 9 minutes) Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
Melt 2-3 Tablespoons butter on low heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and sauté until translucent.
Add flour and stir constantly for about 3 minutes, or until dissolved, then add garlic and onion powder.
Add vegetable stock, milk, and cream. Increase heat to medium high, stirring until thickened.
Reduce heat to low, stirring constantly until desired thickness.
Remove from heat and stir in vegetables. Season with salt and pepper then stir in ricotta. Set aside.
Grate cheeses and mix all but ricotta together in a bowl. Set aside.
Melt 3-4 Tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and mix in crushed crackers, parsley, steak seasoning, and ¼ C of cheese mixture. Set aside.
Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with butter. Place a layer of noodles on the bottom, being careful not to leave any open spaces.
Add a thin layer of the vegetable mixture (about 1/3) then sprinkle half of the cheese over this.
Continue layering noodles, veggie mix, and cheese, ending with veggie mixture.
Top with the cracker mixture.
Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes until top is brown and bubbly.
Serve warm with (my personal favorites) homemade yeast dinner rolls and fresh salad! YUM! ,What About You?
Do you have your own veggie lasagna recipe? What would you add or change?
