Vegetarian Lasagna

Good time to clean out the crisper!

Lots of layers and flavor..no meat.

Meat is a side dish around here, and often, I am sneaking a meal in with no meat at all.  This lasagna is hearty and delicious and no one will say, "Gosh, I wish there had been meat in there!"  I promise.  I am using jarred pasta sauce, it just didn't justify homemade sauce.  This meal needed to be prepped ahead, quick and easy.

The day you plan on baking the lasagna, or perhaps a day early is the best for making.  I like the herbs and garlic to introduce themselves before baking.  It also freezes beautifully, just make sure your baking dish can handle going from freezer to oven.

Vegetarian Lasagna

1 box no boil lasagna noodles (or your preference, you won't use them all)
1 jar pasta sauce (no meat if that's your goal)
1 8 oz container whole milk ricotta (you can use skim, but yuck)
1 package frozen, chopped spinach
1 clove garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (I like Penzey's Tuscan Sunset)
1 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella
1 zucchini, sliced thin
1 8oz package mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2  of a 6.7 oz jar of prepared pesto

After a side by side taste of skim and whole milk ricotta, whole milk won!

Lasagna should be easy!

Thaw spinach in a colander under running water and squeeze dry.  Add the spinach, garlic, eggs and seasoning to the ricotta cheese.  Mix well and set aside.

The spinach mixture covered by thin sliced zucchini.

No cook noodles need lots of sauce!

Coat bottom of 8X8 pan with some pasta sauce to cover.  Cover with a layer of noodles, half the ricotta/spinach mixture, half the zucchini, half the mushrooms, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and sauce to cover. Next, another layer of noodles, ricotta/spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, 1/2 cup mozzarella and then top with another layer of noodles.  On the top cover with the remaining pasta sauce, the pesto and the remaining mozzarella cheese.

The pesto on top adds flavor, aroma and zip!

Spray a sheet of foil with nonstick spray, or smear olive oil all over it before covering the lasagna.
Can be frozen at this point,  or chill until about 2 hours prior to serving time.

Ready to mingle...

About 45 minutes prior to baking, remove from fridge and preheat oven to 350º.  Bake the lasagna for about 40 minutes covered, and remove foil for the last 20 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly.  Let it rest about 15 minutes before cutting.  Serves 6

Delicious!

Cookies! A Catch up...

So let's do a little cookie recap.

A hostess platter...

Yes, adorable.

The snowglobes above, I made from SweetSugarBelle, a super talented cookie girl who has her own line of stuff hitting Michael's this summer!  They sure caused a buzz on my Facebook page!

A Christmas Birthday..

A herd of Rudy!

A nursing grad

Throwback cookies

Soem of the prettiest baby cookies ever

A modern valentine

Dinner Club place cards

Girls basketball season party cookies

Light sabers...

Mexican Icebox Cake

 I bought a little 6 pack of these Patron Cafe XO, and they are delicious! 

Easily 10 servings in an 8" springform.  Very rich!

 Our neighborhood supper club meets monthly except for the summer.  The menu is put together by a member of the steering committee and this month, they wanted to do a test dinner.  Sounds delicious to me!  I was in charge of making the dessert.  The original recipe can be found on Epicurious, here.  Of course, in true SweetiePetitti fashion I just couldn't leave well enough alone.  If you read the reviews, you will see I was simply following a lot of advice!  I am giving you the recipe as I made it.

A note on vanilla.  I always use the Neilsen-Massey, and you will find most professionals prefer it.  I have given out many recipes and heard complaints how it just doesn't taste like mine.  It is always the vanilla.  Anyone who says there is no difference has never done a taste test.  I have, no comparison.  The vanilla paste is a thicker vanilla with flecks of real vanilla beans.  It is great in whipped cream, ice cream or even vanilla buttercream.  Anywhere you can see those tell tale flecks, it is a great choice!

Accept nothing less than the very best!

Mexican Icebox Cake

2, 7 ounce packages of Italian Ladyfingers also called Savoiardi (like a hard cookie)
2 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 block cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 miniature Hershey's milk chocolate bars, grated

Measure and cut the ladyfingers so they stand on the flat end around the perimeter of the springform pan with the rounded side facing out.  Brush the inside of each generously with Patron XO Cafe tequila or Tia Maria or even just cold coffee.  Using your small ends and whole cookies, fill the bottom of the springform pan with a layer of ladyfingers, and again, generously brush with your liqueur or coffee.  I believe the next time I make this I will grind cookies and add melted butter to make a true bottom crust.

This does require a little patience!

Stir 3/4 cup whipping cream, unsweetened chocolate and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir until the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and cool to room temp.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the powdered sugar, cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste until smooth and blended.  Beat in cooled chocolate mixture and set aside.

In a clean bowl, Beat the remaining 2 cups whipping cream, 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar cinnamon and last teaspoon vanilla paste. Beat until the cream forms stiff peaks.  I folded both mixtures into one another.

You can faintly see the vanilla bean specks.

Spread half of the mixture onto the bottom crust.  Place a layer of ladyfingers, and brush generously with the liqueur or coffee.  Then top with remaining filling.  Using a peeler, shave curls off the chocolate bars and top the cake with them.

you should eat those chunky pieces...

leftovers from s'mores!

Cover loosely (I use a shower cap!) and chill at least 4 hours, but overnight is fine too.  To serve, pop off the sides of the springform, and slice at about 2 ladyfingers width.  It's very rich!  So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!