There's nothing more romantic then an Italian meal by candlelight. So for Valentine's Day I've been trying to think of a healthier pasta dish to make for my sweetheart. It's not that I don't love a big bowl of pasta topped off with marinara sauce because I do. It's just that I don't want to eat all of my daily calories in that one bowl of pasta
.
I had a lot of vegetables in my refrigerator so I decided to make a vegetable lasagna with my homemade vodka sauce. I used Dreamfields Pasta lasagna noodles because of their patented manufacturing process that protects most of the carbohydrates from being absorbed. The noodles are also sturdy which makes for a wonderful lasagna.
I only used 9 lasagna noodles instead of 12 to cut back as well. I sauteed a pan full of delicious fresh vegetables and mixed them with the ricotta cheese. The lasagna stacked up neatly and cooked to a gooey, golden brown. The first bite was incredible. Vodka sauce, vegetables, and plenty of cheese made this a great special occasion dish. Along with a glass of wine and candlelight this made for an amazing dinner.
Vegetable Lasagna with Vodka Sauce (a Hezzi-D original)
9 Dreamfields lasagna noodles
1 T. olive oil
½ onion, chopped
3 carrots, shredded
½ green pepper, chopped
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1 leek (white and light green parts only), chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. fresh spinach
½ c. fresh kale
1 t. oregano
1 t. parsley
½ t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 ½ c. ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
2 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
4 c. vodka sauce
¼ c. Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain.
3. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion, carrots, and pepper and saute for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add in the mushrooms, leek, garlic, spinach, and kale and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
5. Stir the ricotta cheese and ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese into the vegetables and mix well.
6. Spread 1 cup of the vodka sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread with half of the vegetable ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with ⅓ of remaining cheese, then 1 cup of the sauce.
7. Repeat with another layer of noodles, vegetables, cheese, and sauce. Top with remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce. Finally sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.
Debby
Yay! Thank you!!
Deborah
savannah
I love spaghetti with meatballs 🙂 My grandmother has an amazing sauce recipes that makes the best spaghetti ever!
Nicole
Homemade mac and cheese. Or spaghetti. Or stuffed shells. Really, I'm a big fan of almost any pasta dish 🙂
Darlene
I love Lasagna
Darlene
My favorite is lasagna
Kimberly
We like lasagna
kalona522
my fave is cheezy pasta. my hubbys fave is lasagna
[Whatever U are, be a good one!]
I love spicy shrimp pasta!
Thank You for the chance to enter
Fiona N
Debby
Spaghetti and meatballs.
Deborah
janetfaye
I like Ziti Marinara.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Diana
I love spaghetti!
hrddiana556@gmail.com
amanda hoffman
lasagna
Vera Khule
Ii like mac&cheese! vera khule at gmail dot com
teachinmomma123
lasagna is my favorite!
mtbears819
Spaghetti and meatballs-Dorothy Deakyne
SweeTidbits
Stuffed shells or veggie lasagna...yummm!
jayedee
we love love love veggie lasagne with a nice white sauce!
aaltw_515
spagetti we all love it
amy williams
sethandtjay@yahoo.com
Mammamayor
Chicken scampi or manicotti ,thank you, batbelinsky@verizon.net
itsme
homemade macaroni and cheese
AuntyKissy
I'm a sucker for a good veggie lasagna.
Stacey
I love a rich marinara over fresh pasta.
Linda
Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce
Candice
I love baked ziti.
Dawn
Any kind of baked pasta is my favorite-stuffed shells, baked ziti, lasagna-you name it!
keshakeke
Macaroni and Cheese is my favorite!
keshakeke@gmail.com
Anonymous
I love fettuccine alfredo
bjn1957{at}gmail{dot}com
janejett123
lasagna is my favorite
luckynordberg
Fettecini alfredo
Arifamily at comcast.net
cyn209
pretty much any pasta dish is my favorite, but all time is spaghetti!!!!!
Eva
Lasagna is my favorite. I like classic lasagna, seafood lasagna and veggie lasagna. Guess I am not too picky huh?
manda
Shrimp and garlic sauce.
The Home Cook
Spaghetti carbonara - yum!
Melissa @IWasBornToCook
Love them ALL! But if I have to pick one - my Nana's lasagna. We eat Dreamfields exclusively in our house - it's the best!