It is my go to for any type of gathering for family or friends, or if I need a dish to bring to a party, or have a busy week ahead (it’s really good reheated).
I have been a vegetarian for a little over two years now, and I can’t imagine going back to eating meat. It is really true, when they say your taste buds change after a few weeks of being veggie.
A few years ago, I started having allergic reactions to the antibiotics and meats, and it was making me feel awful, so my doctor recommended I don’t eat meat for a while, and it has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. - Brinn Black
Serves:12; Cost: under $30
Tools:
food processor
Casserole dish
Pasta pot
Spatula
Medium pot
Ingredients
One large container of ricotta cheese
one small container of ricotta cheese
One large jar of your favorite Pasta sauce
One large can of Crushed tomatoes
One box of lasagna noodles
One bag of steamed broccoli (or 4 cups of fresh broccoli chopped)
4 cups of fresh spinach (or one bag of spinach steamables
2 zucchini squashes (can substitute zucchini noodles if you are short on prep time)
One 16oz bag of mozzarella cheese
(Or 16 oz or freshly grated mozzarella)
One Handful of shaved Parmesan reggiano (freshly shaved.. not the green bottle of powdered Parm)
Olive oil spray (or any preferred oil to grease casserole dish with)
Optional seasonings:
2 tablespoons of sugar (can substitute stevia or other sugar substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Marjoram
Oregano
Teaspoon of chili powder
Teaspoon of Italian seasoning
Prep:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place water in pasta pot and bring to boil
-add 2 tablespoons of salt and tablespoon of oil into water. (This helps the pasta not stick together)
Once it it boiling, place noodles into pot and cook till they are al dente.. aka firm but not mushy)
Place steamables in microwave and cook according to directions on bag
(Or Boil/steam fresh broccoli and zucchini and chop into small pieces)
Poor pasta sauce and crushed tomatoes into medium sized pot and place over medium heat
Add zucchini noodles or your chopped zucchini into the sauce
Add chili powder ,garlic salt ,onion powder ,Italian seasoning ,and salt and pepper to taste
Add sugar to sauce ( I worked at an Italian restaurant in high school, and the cooks taught me that a little bit of sugar will bring out the flavor in the tomato sauce.. stevia works too 🤩)
Cook sauce until heated through, then pour into food processor until the zucchini is blended with sauce. Afterwards, place it back into pan and place on low heat and cover)
Place broccoli and spinach into food processor and turn on high. Afterwards, fold greens mixture into ricotta cheese, or put ricotta cheese into food processor and mix it until it is even
Assembly:
After greasing your casserole dish, Place one layer of noodles on the bottom (and sides of dish if you want it to have a nice firm edge for multiple sides of those “corner prices”)
Put a small layer of sauce over top of bottom pasta
Follow this by placing layer of ricotta/veggie mixture, then sauce topping, and repeat noodle-ricotta-sauce pattern until casserole dish is full.
*Top layer should be noodles with sauce covering entire dish.
Add bag of shredded mozzarella to completely cover the entire lasagna
Sprinkle a 1/4 cup of Parmesan reggiano over top of mozzarella
Sprinkle pinch of cayenne pepper over cheese (it’s not spicy, but brings out the cheese flavor)
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 mins/1 hr or until the top of the cheese is golden brown.
Sprinkle top with oregano and pinch of marjoram before serving
ENJOY!
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ABOUT BRINN
She's been performing since the age of four, but since she moved to Nashville at the age of 18, this soulful songstress has taken a more entrepreneurial approach to her music. She continues to pour herself into her songwriting, recording, and touring, and that dedication has led to performances at the legendary Ryman Auditorium and the Bluebird Cafe. Black has opened shows for Lady Antebellum, Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson, LoCash, Dustin Lynch, Sammy Kershaw and more. She's released several songs, including her most vulnerable piece of work, "Daddy's Medicine," in 2017. The companion music video has amassed more than 200,000 views, while the track has gained nearly 30,000 streams on Spotify. The native of Chester, Virginia also uses her musical talents to help others while giving back with the creation of Lyrics On The Lake, an annual, multi-day festival held at Smith Mountain Lake, VA. Brinn is also a hands-on advocate for programs including Christmas 4 Kids, Give It To Goodwill, Hands On Nashville, the Columbia Shop-With-A-Cop program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She also prides herself on being an ambassador for LEAD Southeast, a public school in Nashville committed to preparing artistic young students for a four-year college or university. She has one dog (Little Miss Mollie B), loves dark chocolate, Italian food and SEC sports
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