Meatless Monday, well it was supposed to be...

Sometimes dinner plans don't turn out exactly the way you want them to. Before my step-kids arrived for the summer I was able to cook whatever I wanted to with minimal complaints. My husband and my toddler would eat what I put on the table. Now I have two food critics in my household. I could try and force them to eat what I want them to eat, but in the end it would turn into a power struggle and then it's two against me. I would rather not have the whining and rude comments at the dinner table. We've come a long way, but they're still not to the point where they can just taste it and the set it off to the side if they don't like it. I still hear plenty of opinions on vegetables that "smell gross" or "look disgusting" at the dinner table.
When I brought out the eggplant and the zucchini in hopes of making a vegetarian lasagna, I heard groans and moans almost immediately. So to try and salvage hopes of a polite dinner together as a family, I compromised a little. It was still going to be a mostly vegetable lasagna with a layer of browned sausage. I got what I wanted, while they got what they wanted.

Vegetable Lasagna
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
Tomato or marinara sauce- 24 oz jar
Lasagna noodles, about 12 for a 9x13 pan
2 eggplants
2 large zucchinis or 3-4 small
1 pound Italian sausage (optional)
8 oz Asiago cheese, grated
Ricotta cheese- 15 oz container
Cottage cheese- 16 oz container
Salt, pepper, dried herbs to taste
Grated mozzarella cheese for topping

Directions:

• Start a large pot of water on high to boil for the lasagna noodles. Salt the water and cook noodles 8-10 minutes. Since you will be baking the pasta, you want the noodles to be less than al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking an prevent clumping.
• Slice the eggplant lengthwise about 1/2" and the zucchini lengthwise about 1/4". Salt both sides and lay on paper towels and wait about 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Press with paper towels and sauté in batches to golden brown and softened.
• Brown your sausage, if using. I add about 1/2 cup of marinara to the pan afterwards to pick up all the browned bits off the pan.
• Make your cheese mixture. I combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, and half the grated Asiago (or you could use any other hard Italian cheese, like Parmesan), and then add salt, pepper, and dried herbs to taste. Tonight I had dried oregano on hand so that's what I used, but dried basil, Italian seasoning, or fines herbes would also work. You can also add minced garlic or garlic powder to the cheese mix if you like.

Once all the components are prepared you a ready to build your lasagna. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and add a thin layer of tomato sauce. Add a layer of noodles, slightly overlapping. Add the eggplant in one layer, then top with half your cheese mix. Add another layer of noodles, and top with tomato sauce. If you are using sausage, add it now. Then comes your layer of zucchini and the rest of your ricotta mix. Add your final layer of noodles and top with sauce and the rest of the Asiago and a few handfuls of grated mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about an hour, and let cool slightly before cutting and serving. I typically only wait 10 minutes because we're hungry at that point, but 20 minutes would be even better.

In the end, you get a hearty lasagna that you can claim to be good for you because it is full of vegetables, and your kids still get a cheesy, comforting dish that they can enjoy. They still avoided the eggplant, though...