I absolutely love cooking for family and friends during the Holidays! But when you have a strict “no animal products” policy when it comes to your diet, it can be difficult to make a Holiday dinner that will be enjoyed by not just you, but loved by all. The next time you find yourself in this difficult scenerio, try my veggie lasagna recipe. My family loved it… and I hope yours will, too! 😋🍴

Ingredients
2 packages of Daiya cheese in flavors of your choice

1 onion, chopped 

1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed 

8 oz mushrooms, sliced 

1 head broccoli, chopped 

2 carrots, chopped 

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped 

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

1 tsp oregano 

1 tsp basil 

1 tsp rosemary 

2 jars pasta sauce 

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles 

16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained 

Note: to save time with the spices, I often just use Mrs. Dash Italian or Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend. It already has most of the spices you will need for this recipe and they are already blended together perfectly. For this recipe, I used a little over a tabllespoon of the Extra Spicy blend and nixed the cayenne as well. It worked out PERFECTLY!

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 ° F. Saute the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Saute the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Saute the peppers until just beginning to soften. Add them to them to the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine. 

Cover the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles, and add about half of the cheese. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with the remaning cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.