Vegetable Lasagna

Lately I've been craving lasagna.  I like lasagna, I do, but it is not one of my favorite dishes.  I guess I've just never met a lasagna that made me go, "Wow!".  I finally decided to give into the craving and I whipped up a beautiful lasagna for dinner.  I was a little hesitant as to how it was going to turn out, but it was delicious!

I have this thing where I don't really like to have meat with my pasta.  Cheese and sauce only, please.  And as I really do not like meat in my lasagna, tonight we went meatless.  Keith moaned and groaned when I told him I wasn't going to put meat in it.  He doesn't like going without (except for that year he spent as a vegetarian...).  He liked the lasagna as much as I did, however, and even commented that it tasted like there was meat in there, even though he knew there wasn't.  I would say that equals success!

Vegetable Lasagna

1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
5 white mushrooms
1/2 cup water
1 jar pasta sauce
1 small tub of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 box of no-cook lasagna noodles
2 cups fresh spinach
2 cups mozzarella, shredded

In large fry pan, heat oil.  Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms, all chopped very small.  Use a pinch of salt to help vegetables sweat.  Add water and let simmer until vegetables are soft.  Add pasta sauce and let warm through.  In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with the egg.  In casserole dish, assemble the lasagna, starting with sauce on the bottom, and layer (sauce, noodles, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella.  Repeat).  Layer about 3 times.  Finish with mozzarella on top.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.  Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving.