What is it with kids and their dislike for sleep? I just don’t get it. All moms know the feeling: dozing off, warm and snug, dreaming of something fantastic, like never folding laundry again, then, WHAM!, a little ankle biter runs into your room, screaming something ridiculous, like, “why is the door looking at me?!” Como what? Have you lost your mind? Of course, you think this to yourself, or did you? I can’t remember.
You then return them to their rooms, maybe argue with them shortly about why they should be sleeping (Hello! The sun isn’t out yet!). After the tortuous, not-even-crack-of-dawn, wake-up, you struggle to fall asleep. You can’t help but wonder if they really fell back asleep, or is another pre-dawn sneak attack in the future? Why so many questions??!! No sane person would ever think of waking someone up with this crap!
So that’s when I sometimes plan dinner. First, because, as you guessed, I might be a little obsessive about cooking. You’re correct, by the way. Second, I know I’m going to be exhausted, so I need to make something quick, easy and likable by all family members. Let’s face it, tired mommy has no patience for mealtime battles.
That’s when veggie lasagna comes into play. This is a staple in our household. Quick, easy, healthy and delicious. No one complains, not even my picky eater. Not to mention, it’s gluten free and obviously, vegetarian. The recipe is forgiving, so you can make changes to it and it will still be great. No garlic? Use onion. Have some different veggies on hand? Use them. Want something meaty? Add it. No canned tomatoes? Well, better get your sleep deprived self to the store for those.
If you really want to make it quicker, you could use canned sauce, but I haven’t found one as tasty as the one I make. And my sauce really doesn’t take all that long. But, totally up to you.
Enjoy!
xx
turnips + tantrums team
Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves whole, peeled
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
- 1 carrot make it faster by microwaving to soften them-2 minutes
- 58 oz cans whole peeled, SAN MARZANO tomatoes (don’t even think of subbing, just don’t)
- 5-7 basil leaves
- 2 tsp salt plus more if necessary
Filling
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic shredded
- 2 zucchini diced to 1/2″ pieces
- 1 carrot chopped, and mircro’d to soften
- 1 package white mushrooms sliced
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 package mozzarella cheese shredded (if you buy pre-shredded, check the ingredients, if it has too many preservatives, it will turn grey when you cook it, EWW).
- 1 box lasagna noodles gluten free
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- For the filling, heat oil on medium high. Add garlic. Toss in zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute until the veggies become soft, about 7-9 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss olive oil, garlic, red pepper flake and carrots into large sauce pan. Using medium high heat, sauté until the garlic starts to turn golden. Lower heat to medium, add tomatoes, basil and salt. Simmer until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree.
- In a large casserole pan, ladle two healthy servings of tomato sauce. This keeps the noodles from sticking to the pan.Lay down noodles. Cover with half the spinach, then half the veggies. Then 1/3 of sauce and 1/3 of cheese. Cover with another layer of noodles, then remaining spinach and veggies. Ladle on 1/2 of remaining sauce and 1/2 of remaining cheese. Top with last of noodles, sauce and cheese.
- Bake, tightly covered, for 1 hour.
- After you remove it, let it cool for 15-20 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe source: turnips + tantrums original
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