When I knew I didn't need no stinking recipe

So today I made four 15 pound lasagnas. Two to feed thirty people at a dinner party I threw for all the primary, a cub scout workers in the ward, and two to feed 30 people at our ski trip in Telluride. That is the beauty of the lasagna it can feed some people!
My mother made lasagna growing up and it was always good. When I met my sweet fairb, as you know, he was a vegetarian. While we were dating I decided to experiment upon my mothers lasagna recipe ( a recipe I think she got out of a newspaper or something) and replace the ground beef with some vegetables. I started with onions, mushrooms and eggplant. Low and behold, the lasagna turned out great, and it was even better than the original! This was the beginning of the end of recipes for me. I love love love reading recipes, but I almost never follow a recipe to the letter, I always make a change. I go with my gut! and so should you! So when you read this recipe and you think "cottage cheese? that does not sound right!" Go with ricotta. "She didn't weep the eggplant?" Weep it if that is you instinct. "I wonder if I could use fresh basil?" by golly start chopping those basil leaves. That is the fun part of cooking, making every dish your own!
Now today I made a lot of lasagna, but this recipe is for 1 lasagna that would fit into a regular deep casserole dish. With cottage cheese and tons of veggies, I consider this a healthy lasagna.


Vegetable Lasagna


Ingredient list
1/2 c diced eggplant (peeled)
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced artichokes (out of can)
1/2 c mushrooms
1/2 fine diced carrots
1 c chopped fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 t salt
1 T dried basil
1 T sugar
olive oil
1 big can (I think its the 28 oz?) diced tomatoes
1 small can (14 oz?) diced tomatoes
2 small cans or 1 big can tomato paste
extra water if needed

Saute the veggies in olive oil starting with the carrots (cut the carrots first and begin cooking them while you keep dicing) go to onions next, eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, artichokes, garlic.

Continue sauteing until veggies are cooked down. Add tomato products, and spices. Stir well and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile . . . . Boil a box of lasagna noodles (al dente) in lots of salted water ( don't forget the salt, you will regret it.)

Meanwhile . . . Combine . . 2 eggs

1 c Parmesan cheese

1 tub cottage cheese ( sorry guys I don't know my sizes, not the small one, not the regular one, the next size up but not the huge one)

2 T dried parsley

2 t salt

1 t ground pepper

Now your sauce should be well simmered turn it off let cool noodles are al dente and rinsed just waiting in the sink, and your cheese filling is all combined. Time to assemble. Oh by the way you need a huge bag grated mozzarella cheese. So it goes, noodles, cottage cheese filling, sauce, mozzarella. Do it three times.

Cottage cheese filling layer

sauce layer
Bake in the oven for about 45 minute at 350 degrees, best to let it sit for about 10 minutes to let it set so it is prettier to serve!