Veggie Lasagna

My intentions were good... But man it's hard to find time to update this blog in between working & having a toddler to chase around! Anyway... I'm finally back on to share a veggie lasagna recipe with you. It's easier than you think!

15 Simple Ingredients:
1 egg (not pictured, lol) beaten
1 small tub of Ricotta
1 salad dressing seasoning packet (I used Good Seasons Garlic & Herb)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion - chopped fairly fine

1 green bell pepper - chopped fairly fine

1 orange bell pepper - chopped fairly fine

2 zucchini - cut in half, then sliced
2 squash - cut in half, then sliced
1.5 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry basil
1 jar of tomato sauce (I chose Prego)

1 package of lasagna noodles (or make your own if you have the time)
8 oz mozzarella

Prepping the Goodies:
1st - mix the ricotta, egg, & salad dressing mix together & set aside.

Next, add the olive oil to a pan over medium heat.
Once it is warmed up, add the onion & bell peppers.

Cook until the onions start to get clear (but not totally clear yet!).
Then add the squash & zucchini.
Add the oregano, basil, & garlic at this point also.

Once the squash & zucchini start to get "done" (kinda squishy like), add the jar of tomato sauce.

Let the veggie/sauce simmer about 10 minutes on low.

Spray your dish w/cooking spray (or rub w/oil).
Pour 1/3 of the veggie/sauce in the pan.
Top with 1/3 of the noodles.
Add 1/3 of the ricotta & about 1/4 of the mozzarella.
Pour 1/3 of the veggie/sauce next.
Top with 1/3 of the noodles again.

Add 1/3 of the ricotta & about 1/4 of the mozzarella.

Next, add another layer of noodles.
Then the remaining ricotta.
Next, the last of the veggie/sauce.
And top off with all the remaining mozzarella.

Now, on to the Cooking!:
Cover with foil & bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Take the foil off & bake an additional 20 minutes, until the cheese is nice & bubbly.

How to eat:
Just dig in! :)

The response? "It's okay." I think most ppl feel lasagna "has" to have meat in it, so Luke wasn't head-over-heels about it. I think it was pretty dang yummy! If I had artichokes to add to it, I would've - that would've been sooooo good.

Meat-lover Variation:
Brown some ground beef or sausage, then add the bell peppers & onions & follow along from there. You probably want to skip the squash & zucchini though, that would just be weird. ;)

Yummy Burrito Casserole

I was searching for a recipe that was "different" and came across something close to this. It was different for sure, and wonderfully yummy!

8 Simple Ingredients:
1 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup water
1 can refried beans
1# ground beef or ground beef alternative - browned
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup cheddar - shredded
Tomatoes (as desired) - chopped
Onions (as desired) - chopped
((Jalapenos if desired also))

Prepping the Goodies:
Mix the Bisquick, water, & refried beans together thoroughly.

Then, spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of a casserole dish or pie pan that has been coated w/oil or cooking spray.

Next, evenly spread the ground beef (or alternative) on top.

Add the salsa on top of that.

And, finally, the cheese on the very top!

Now, on to the Cooking!:
Bake for 30 minutes @ 375 degrees.

How to Eat:
Top with the tomato & onion (& jalapenos if you want 'em).
Open mouth, insert yumminess! ;)


Luke's response: this is GOOD! When I asked if it were better than our stand-by Mexican casserole (I'll add that one soon), he said YES! My opinion? OMGosh it's amazing! If you added some guacamole and sour cream I'd be in heaven. So, so, so simple, yet so, so, so yummy!

Meat-lover Variation:
Hey, I did a ground beef version for you guys. You couldn't need MORE meat, could you? It would be pretty good w/chicken if you prefer though.

Beanie Burgers

Or, I suppose you could make them beanie weenies. haha Yummy alternative to ground beef burgers... Here we go!

9 Simple Ingredients:
2 tbsp Basil (I like the paste stuff!)
1 tbsp garlic (I like the pre-minced stuff so my hands don't get stinky.)
1 can of kidney beans - rinsed & drained
1 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of walnuts - chopped pretty finely
1 cup black olives - chopped
1/4 yellow or white onion - chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

4 hamburger buns
(And, of course, any fixins' you want!)

Prepping the Goodies:
In a food processor, add the basil, garlic, kidney beans, 1/2 of the bread crumbs, walnuts, olives, & onion & combine until all ingredients are chopped & blended & they begin to stick together really well.

Then form 4 equal patties, that should be about 1/2" thick. Rub olive oil over both sides & coat both sides with remaining bread crumbs.

Now, on to the Cooking!:
Cover grill with foil. Make sure you poke holes in the foil to allow the heat to escape (spraying the foil would be helpful too - just do it before turning the flame on please!).
Cook the patties over medium heat.
Grills are all a bit different, so I'll say you need to cook it about 5-8 minutes per side.
You'll have to just watch it, and make sure it's firming up, but not burning.
I prefer to cook with the cover closed. I'm no grilling expert though.

Here's what you'll have when the patties are done:

How to it eat:
Like any other burger. :) I made a basil/garlic mayo by mixing 2 tbsp mayo with 1 tsp basil paste, 1/2 tsp garlic, and 1/4 tsp dry mustard. We had grilled broccoli & mac-n-cheese with our burgers. Yummm!Luke's response was: pretty good. I'm sure he would've preferred something more spicy on there, and I should've thought to add cheese to his (I'm not a cheeseburger eater).



Meat-lover variation:
Throw some bacon on there if you must.