Pasta Free Veggie Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound (or 1 ½ pounds) firm tofu, tempe or vegetarian Italian style sausage (torn or broken into bite-sized pieces)
1 zucchini or yellow squash, grated (optional)
2 carrots, grated (optional)
1/2 cup to a cup of fresh or frozen chopped spinach (drained if you have time) (optional)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated low fat Italian style cheese
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Lasagna noodles or 1 large eggplant (purple), peeled and sliced into circles, about 1/8 inch thick or 3-4 zucchini sliced into thin, long strips.

I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten’s turkey lasagna, when I wanted a good comfort food dish that was good for you that I could eat all week.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If you're going to do not use lasagna noodles (or only use 1/2 of the noodles):

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the baking sheet with pam and layer the eggplant or zucchini. (it’s ok if they overlap). Spray the tops with pam and bake for 10 min or until golden brown on some edges.

If you're going to use some lasagna noodles:

Fill a bowl or pan with hot tap water. Soak the lasagna noodles for about 20 minutes to soften. (Usually I do a layer of noodles on the bottom of the lasagna, a layer of veggie "noodles" and then top with a layer of lasagna noodles. I'll need about 6-8 lasagna noodles to do this in a rectangular casserole pan.)

Main Recipe:
Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tofu, tempe, or sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, until slightly browned or heated through. If using, add the zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and spinach and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1/2 -3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of grated cheese (I leave this out sometimes), the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the eggplant, a small handful of grated cheese, half the ricotta, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the eggplant, a handful of grated cheese, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Swaps: For meat eaters you can make this with ground chicken, turkey, or italian style sausage, taken out of the casing. After you cook the onions, add the meat to the pan and cook until done, about 8-10 min. Then add the tomatoes, etc. (If I'm using ground chicken or turkey, I add about a tablespoon of McCormick grill seasoning, or just salt, pepper and whatever spices sound good at the time.) You don’t have to use a whole can of tomato paste, I’ve been short and only added a few teaspoons and it’s fine.

Sometimes I leave the grated cheese out of the layers and only use it to top the lasagna, if I’m cutting back.