Vegetarian Lasagna Roll Ups (with vegan instructions!)

The other day, one of my co-workers, a new vegetarian (yay!) was telling me about an eggplant parmesan she made. She said it was so good and it didn't leave her craving meat. So, I am going to share one of my all time favorite recipes that vegetarians and non vegetarians will love! I love Italian food, but making lasagna can be a pretty big tasks. And, most lasagnas feed a ton of people. When you are cooking for only yourself or one other person lasagna can seem out of the picture. That why this recipe is one of my favorites it makes about 4 servings at 3 roll ups per person. Perfect for dinner for 2 and leftovers the next day for lunch, I've always thought lasagna taste better the second day.

Another this about this dish is of course the vegetarian factor, most lasagnas are packed with meat. This one is full of sauteed veggies and creamy ricotta cheese. YUMMMMMM! I have made this lasagna a ton of times, and I recently learned how to make it vegan! It is pretty simple and you can kind of built it according to what vegetables you have at home already. I love using what vegetables are in season because it makes this dish taste even better. I am also obsessed with colorful food. So, for my lasagna I used zucchini, multi colored bell peppers, and spinach. But, if you love broccoli or yellow squash.. go for it! Cooking is about making what you love to eat!

Enough talk.. Enjoy this recipe and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 15 lasagna noodles (you will only use about 12 but I make some extras just in case some break)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese or vegan ricotta cheese (this is the recipe I use and it is really gooooddddd http://www.veganinsanity.com/how-to/vegan-ricotta-cheese/#.VaQWnPlViko)
• 1 24oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/8 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped zucchini 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red or orange bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach 
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese or substitution cheese for vegan 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375F
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, and onions over medium-high heat, saute until onion and garlic turn golden brown and add the zucchini and bell peppers 
• In a large pot boil 4 cups of water with a sprinkle of salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add lasagna noodles. 
• While the noodles are cooking coat a medium baking dish with 1/2 of the sauce (I usually use a cake pan)
• Cook the veggies until they are soft and add the Italian seasoning, pepper and chili powder, mix in thoroughly 
• Add the spinach and saute until lightly wilted, remove veggies from heat
• When the pasta is done strain it and immediately run cold water on the noodles you want the noodles to be cool enough to handle and also prevent them from breaking. I lay the noodles out on a clean kitchen towel to let them cool a bit more
• Now time to roll them up. Take one noodle and spread a little more than 1 tablespoon of the ricotta/ vegan ricotta evenly on the noodle. Then do the same with the veggies. Sprinkle a little mozzarella over the vegetables and carefully roll the noodle up. You want the noodle to be pretty tight it should stick together pretty well. The move the roll up to the pan with the sauce.
• Repeat for all 12 noodles, Then poor the remaining sauce over the roll ups. Add the rest of the mozzarella (or more) to the top.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Wait 5 minutes to cool. 
• Serve with a side salad and bread! Enjoy! 

Pictures to come!