Delicious Veggie Lasagna with Kale, Carrots, and Mushrooms

Today I picked up my first share from my CSA!

I love fruit, especially in smoothies so I know I will be able to eat all of this fruit without a problem. But I am not a huge vegetable eater. I came up with an idea to make vegetarian lasagna and utilize a lot of these vegetables.

First wash the kale and cut off the stems. Then roughly chop the kale leaves. Heat up a skillet over medium heat with about a Tbsp of olive oil. Add the kale to the skillet and allow it to cook. I also added 3 cloves of chopped garlic and salt and pepper to taste. The kale turns a rich deep green once it is fully cooked. 

While the kale is cooking, prepare your carrots and mushrooms. I used a vegetable peeler to shred the carrot and then chopped it into smaller pieces. This resulted in about 2/3 cup of shredded carrots. I would probably have used a little more if I had more carrots. Next wash and chop your mushrooms. I had crimini mushrooms in my share this week but you can use whatever kind you like. Add both the carrots and mushrooms to the skillet with the kale. 

Cook your veggies for about 5 minutes until tender. In the mean time, prepare you cheese mixture. I used a 15oz package of part skim ricotta and 3 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella. I also added a couple shakes of parmesan cheese. Mix up all the cheese in a mixing bowl, then add the cooked vegetables and stir it all up!

You are now ready to start assembling the lasagna!  I used a 9x13 pan and oven ready lasagna noodles that I found on sale at Target for $1.00! I also used two jars of store bought tomato basil pasta sauce, but if you have more time and ambition than me you could make your own sauce. 

Pour enough sauce in the pan to coat the bottom. Then make a layer of noodles. (Remember I used oven ready noodles. If you have regular lasagna noodles you need to cook them first!). Next layer half of the veggie cheese mixture and put a layer of sauce on top of that. I also added some chopped fresh tomato to my sauce layer because I had a tomato in my share this week and wasn't sure what else I would use it for.  

Repeat with another layer of noodles, veggie/cheese mixture and sauce. Layer more noodles on top. Then cover it all with a generous amount of sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella and parmesan cheese!

Cover it all in foil and bake it at 350 for about 60 minutes

When it comes out you have a delicious veggie loaded lasagna! Enjoy!

RECIPE- Veggie Lasagna with Kale, Carrots, and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups kale, chopped, stems removed

3/4 cup carrots, shredded

1 small package of mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

slat & pepper to taste

1 15oz package of part skim ricotta

3 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1/4 parmesan, grated

1 1/2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce

1 package of oven ready lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.) Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add kale, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until kale is a deep green. 

3.) Add carrots and mushrooms to skillet and cook about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

4.) In a medium mixing bowl combine 3 cups mozzarella, entire package of ricotta, and 1/4 parmesan. Add in cooked vegetables and stir to comine. 

5.) Coat the bottom of a 9x13" pan with a thin layer of pasta sauce. Align lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Layer 1/2 cheese/vegetable mixture. Repeat layers ending with noodles on top. Cover the top with a generous amount of pasta sauce. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 mozzarella. 

6.) Cover with foil and bake for 60-65 minutes.