Broccoli is one of the most nutritious vegetables around. It lowers the risk of all cancers by 35 percent. Broccoli is a must in all of our diet, so find a creative way to get this super food into your diet. If you don’t like broccoli, you can use more spinach (another superfood) in this yummy recipe. Vegetable lasagna is so healthy and delicious. You can get two super food veggies in this one meal and your family will be asking for more. You can make it for dinner and heat up the leftovers for lunch for days or freeze them for later use. I love to make a few of them and freeze the extra casseroles for another night, for special occasions, or to share with my neighbors. Try out our veggie lasagna recipe.
Ingredients for the best vegetable lasagna:
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
- 3 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
- 1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese
- 2 cups (8 ounces) pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 12 precooked lasagna noodles, divided
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use cooking spray and coat a 9×13 glass casserole pan.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with oil oil. Add onions to pan and sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Than add garlic and continue sauté for 1 minute. Add chopped broccoli and sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the spinach and saute for another 2 minutes until tender. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine. Set aside.
3. Place flour in a small saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir until smooth. Combine cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella; stir well.
4. Spread 1/2 cup vegetable mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over vegetable mixture in dish; top with half of cottage cheese mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), half of vegetable mixture (about 2 1/2 cups), and about 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.