Cafe #16: Vegetarian Lasagna

Ring ring! The Cafe has another new recipe! Hello everyone, how are you all doing today? I thought I would post another recipe because yesterday for the very first time, I made Lasagna! Yep, it took a couple of hours along with the other dishes I made with it but it was worth it. I had intended on baking a Lasagna for a while now, even before I made the Lobster Tails and Baked Mac and Cheese. I didn't think it would turn out as good because I had a little trouble making it since some of the pasta were kinda falling apart, but luckily there was some extra pasta I could use as a substitute. And since I'm trying to cut down on meat, I decided not to put any in this recipe, thereby creating a Vegetarian Lasagna. Therefore, in today's new recipe, we are going to make a Vegetarian Lasagna. Let's get started. 

Serving Size: About 6-8 people. As always, if you want to cook for more people, double the recipe and use a bigger Lasagna pan. 

Cooking Time: I wanna say about 1 hour and 55 minutes. 

Ingredients:

18-20 Cups of Water 

1 pack of Lasagna Pasta 

1 half pack of Sliced Mushrooms

1 Eggplant

1 Bunch of Fresh Spinach

1 16 oz pack of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese ( I used Kraft)

1 8 oz pack of Shredded Italian Cheese (I used Kraft)

1 32 oz of Ricotta Cheese

2 Jars of Prego (I used Roasted Garlic and Herb and Tomato Basil Garlic)

1 can of Diced Hunts Tomatoes

1 Jar of Classico Pesto sauce

Spreadable Butter

Seasonings:

Black Pepper

Basil Leaves

Italian Seasoning

Thyme

Oregano

Cookware:

1 16-18 Quart Pot 

1 8 Quart Stock Pot 

1 Drainer 

1 Lasagna Pan (I used a 13 1/2 x 9 5/8 Pan) (Basically the Handi-foil brand) 

1 Large Spoon 

1 Regular Spoon

1 Ladle

1 Knife 

1 Skillet (I used a large one) 

1 Large Bowl

1 Rubber Spatula 

1 Basting Brush

Instructions:

1) Boil 18-20 cups of water in the 16-18 Quart Pot for 10 minutes. 

2) While the pasta is boiling, start working on the sauce. Pour 2 jars of the Prego into the 8 Quart Pot along with the can of Hunts and a half pack of Sliced Mushrooms. Then let it cook for 10 minutes. While it is cooking, you can put the seasonings in there and a regular spoonful of Pesto sauce in it. Stir occasionally using the Large Spoon.

3) Take a Large Bowl and pour the Ricotta Cheese inside of it. Cut up the bunch of Spinach and pour it into the bowl and mix. Then pour the seasonings and a regular spoonful of Pesto into the mixture. 

4) After the pasta is done, pour the water out in the drainer. 

5) Cut up your Eggplant (maybe about 8 slices) and turn on the skillet. Place a regular spoonful of Spreadable Butter onto the skillet along with the slices of Eggplant. Then sprinkle some black pepper on each piece and cook each side for 5 minutes. 

6) Preheat the oven for 370. 

7) Take a few strains of the pasta and use the Basting Brush to put Pesto sauce on the front and back. Then place them into the pan. 

8) Then place 4 slices of the cooked eggplant slices on top of the pasta. 

9) Place some of the Spinach and Ricotta mixture on top. 

10) Layer some of the Pasta Sauce on top and then sprinkle about half a bag of the 16 oz Shredded Mozzarella cheese. 

11) Repeat steps 7-10 until your pan is full and remember to keep the Pasta Sauce on top.

12) Sprinkle the rest of the Shredded Mozzarella Cheese on top and the Shredded Italian Cheese. Sprinkle the seasonings on top and place it into the oven for 370 degrees for about 60-70 minutes. 

13) Enjoy!