Be sure to go say hi to Amber on Faces of Beauty today!
If you look at my maiden name you’d swear I was 100% German. It’s long, complicated, and reads differently than it’s spelled. But guys? I just KNOW I’m Italian through and through. German food is great and all, but Italian food and culture is what really gets my heart pounding.
Yesterday when I decided on lasagna for dinner I couldn’t stop thinking about making it all.day.long. Case in point.
Lasagna’s one of those things that can be really unhealthy (let’s be honest, that’s the version I love), but it’s also something that can be super healthy too! This version is something I can imagine would be great for kids (or adults) who don’t love vegetables since everything is shredded and spiced just right! And the best part is you could sub any number of veggies in (eggplant would be great).
HIDDEN VEGGIE LASAGNA
- 3-4 large carrots
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 small container mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small shallot
- 1 lb ground turkey (turkey sausage would be great though)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- lasagna noodles (I like the kind you don’t have to boil)
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 15-oz container ricotta cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
First things first, preheat a deep pot over medium heat and preheat the oven to 375. Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil and start browning/cooking the turkey. While that’s going, shred all of the veggies. I would HIGHLY suggest getting a food processor with a shredding blade attachment since it will make your life 100% easier. Word on the street is it will help you win the lottery, live in your dream home, and meet the person of your dreams. That’s just rumor though.
These are my favorite lasagna noodles ever! I was introduced to them by my beautiful friend Emma and haven’t turned back since.
Your turkey should be almost done at this point. Gather your spices together. You don’t have to try to take a pretty picture of them though…that’s kind of my thing 😉
Add the veggies straight to the pot. You can certainly drain the turkey if you would like but I love the added flavor and the moisture is needed in the sauce to cook the noodles. Stir in the spices and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste:
And the can of crushed tomatoes:
Put a lid on that sucker and simmer over very low heat while you get everything else together. In a bowl combine the ricotta, the egg, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Take the sauce off the heat and get ready for LAYERING!
Start off with a tiny bit of sauce in the bottom, then layer the sheets of pasta on top. You’ll want them to overlap a little bit.
Top with the ricotta mixture and spread as best you can. This will melt when you bake it, so it’s not imperative you get it perfectly spread. Plus you’ll likely go crazy trying…not that I know from experience or anything…
Sprinkle some mozzarella on top!
Continue layering sauce, pasta sheets, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella until you run out of ricotta Then top with sauce, another layer of mozarella, and the parmesan. Bake, covered with foil, at 375 for 50-60 minutes. Remove the foil and broil the top til brown and bubbly. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving!
Like I said, kids will like this because you can’t even see the veggies! Unless of course the kids are like me and LOVE their veggies. I was totally that kid in school that got excited about carrot sticks in my lunchbox and brussel sprouts for dinner.
Guys, this recipe makes the perfect dinner and leftover lunch…and in this case, breakfast 🙂
LOVE this recipe!! It was a hit for the whole family, even our picky 4 yo son. My husband requested Lasagna for Valentine’s Day and he loved it.
I stacked it twice as high, doubling the ricotta and pasta sheets. Loved the Barilla pasta the author recommends.
Hurray! I’m so glad you love it!!!
Sneaky, I love it! Great step-by-step photos!
This looks gooood. I love pasta, and I love veggies! I also love taking leftovers to work, and this would work well. Great recipe, thanks for sharing! I’m eating up all of your healthy tips!!!
yummmm! I am inspired! (as I usually am reading your blog). I love pureed vegetables and I love lasagna. Great combo.
Oh my goodness that looks amazing!!!!! Yummmmy! I love veggies 🙂
I keep getting eggplant from my CSA and can never figure out what to do with it. Lasagna has always seemed kind of intimidating but I think I’m going to have to try it!
I never really get excited when I hear about German food…..but Italian foood…..Mamma Mia!!! I have an Italian Great-Grammy and a Nona that are the BEST Italian cooks ever!! SO I was a lucky gal. I recently made a great vegan lasagna, laded with veggies, and cashew cheese….delish, but nothing like the real deal, unfortunately.
Lasagna was one of my fave meals growing up – probably an “unhealthy” version, but I loved it 😉 This veggie version is much more my style now!
Lasagna is the one thing I will enjoy leftover. Woohoo a veggie one too, my fave!
Oh, I just love lasagna. And my mom actually never boils her noodles—not even the regular kind. She just adds a little extra water, and it always turns out perfect! I love the whole wheat kind.
Ha! I was just reading through some of your commets… my mom’s maiden name is Schoenrock. Very similar!
Yessss… another way to use my new food processor! Thank you Heather!
Yummy! Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes. I add veggies but never thought to do it this way. Probably because I don’t own a food processor. I think my cooking would improve immensely if I invested in one.
Yummy! Lasagna sound soo good now that it’s getting cooler out. I may have to try this recipe soon. Thank goodness for the food processor!
Your lasagna looks wonderful! I always appreciate a recipe that sneaks in extra veggies. And it’s so refreshing to see a great veggie lasagna recipe that isn’t loaded down with a heavy cream sauce.
Have a great day!
yum perfect fall meal
this looks FABULOUS!! 🙂 I too, love my veg, but there are some that Jason would rather not eat. (Okay, I’ll be honest… I don’t want to EVER eat peas, but if they were in here in a puree I could deal!)
I will be making this. Lasagna sounds so good.
Oh man! That looks amazing, anything that hides the veggies on my girls is a winner!! Thanks for sharing!
Love hiding veggies in things! I never make a pasta dish without some sort of veggie in it. If the veggies arent in the sauce then I toss it all on a plate of salad. Veggies, veggies, veggies!
😀 What’s your maiden name?? I’m sure it’s a very pretty German-looking name 😉
And yes, German food is yummy … but I get your drift – I would run through the whole of Germany, past all sausages & hearty dishes, to get to a really good lasagna or a pizza!!
Looks awesome, gotty try as soon as exams are over!
my maiden name is ‘Schoenecke’ 🙂
Love it!! I would love to hear how people in the US say it, though 😉
My name is “Höferlin” (or “Hoeferlin”) and I always get the funniest names from English-speaking people *g* – plus I always, always spell my name right after I said it 🙂
😀 What’s your maiden name?? I’m sure it’s ver pretty German-looking name 😉
And yes, German food is yummy … but I get your drift – I would run through the whole of Germany, past all sausages & hearty dishes, to get to a really good lasagna or a pizza!!
Looks awesome, gotty try as soon as exams are over!
My husband is Italian and I’m not super in love with a lot of his favorites. Lasagna though…I’m always all over that!
Oooh, genius! I’ve never heard of no-boil noodles – I’m pretty sure I’d love them though, I like my lasagna noodles to have a crispy bite to them, therefore I hoard the edge pieces.
Great recipe Heather!! Looks super yummy!
I love the “hide the veggies” technique. So sneaky 😉 I didn’t love veggies when I was younger, or meat! However, now I loooove veggies. My friend Joe, makes the most amazing, out of this world, veggie lasagna ever. I need to get the recipe from him!! Oh and I love that you use your hot tub cover for your photos, lol 😉
You really sparked my desire for taking Lasagna to a meeting that is a covered dish type tonight. Thanks so much Heather. Now I will have more time for myself today and take a healthy dish for dinner.
looks delish! this may be a way to get sean to eat some veggies!
I love that this has tons of healthy ingredients in it. I really should get a food processor. Shredding those veggies by hand would take me forever and a half!
Oh wow yummy 🙂 This looks really good. 🙂
Yum, veggie lasagna is my FAVORITE! I’ve never thought to shred up the vegetables though, great idea!
I use a frosting knife to spread ricotta over the noodles, I know it doesn’t really matter, but it makes me feel better 🙂
I love how kid (or husband?) friendly this is! 🙂
Wow, loving all of the veggies in this dish! I can’t wait to try it! I am also obsessed with shredding veggies in my food processor. Since I learned how to use it, I’m just on the hunt for anything shreddable…
LOVE all the veggies in this!! And the cheese and pasta too, of course 😉
OMG that looks good. I actually love veggies!
THis reminds me of mom’s homemade lasagna 🙂
Yum! I love veggie lasagna. My mom always makes huge pans and will freeze some for me. I just dont have the patients to make it myself.
Oh I love this!!! It really does hide the veggies for those pickier eaters… thanks for sharing!! 🙂
mmmm…. I love anything with layers! 🙂
You definitely made this with me in mind, right?!
🙂
Oh that’s a really good idea to hide all those veggies with the food processor! I was wondering how in the world you were going to get away with sneaking that big carrot into the lasagna;)
Heather this looks so good!I love all the veggies you have mixed in there.
Lasagna is always so good reheated the next day, and its perfect for breakfast!
Wow that looks amazing! Great recipe! I will definitely try this to sneak some veggies into my boyfriend’s diet as he doesn’t go near them with a 10 foot pole. hehehe I like being sneaky because he’ll say he LOVES the dish and not even know that I jam packed it with veggies. Then he goes on a rant on how veggies taste nasty and this is how dishes should be (veggie free). Thanks for the inspiration!
This might just be the first meal I make my husband when we’re reunited again 🙂
Looks delish!
Yumm! Nothing beats a good lasagna! I love your spices picture 😉