Preheat the oven to 375° F. Prepare the vegetables by slicing or chopping as required and place in a bowl. Keep the spinach and garlic in separate bowls.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and zucchini and cook until softened, or about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

1 ½ cups yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper, 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, 2 medium zucchini, 4 cloves garlic

Remove from the heat and use the lid of your sauce pan to drain the access liquid from the cooked vegetables. Return the pan with the vegetables to the burner.

Add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and parsley to the skillet and stir. Bring all of your ingredients to a simmer and then reduce the heat to the low setting. Simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2 jars marinara sauce, 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp salt, 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ cup fresh parsley

Add in the chopped spinach, cover and continue to simmer on low for an additional 5 minutes.

5 ounces baby spinach

While the sauce simmers, crack the egg into a medium bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the ricotta cheese and stir to combine.

1 egg, 16 ounces ricotta cheese

To assemble the lasagna, put a layer of sauce (or about 1 cup) into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Lay 3 noodles in an even layer over the sauce. Spread ⅓ of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Place small spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce, using ½ of the ricotta. Lightly spread the mixture so it covers the sauce. Then sprinkle ⅓ of the mozzarella and ⅓ of the Parmesan over the top of the layer.

9 oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles, 4 cups mozzarella cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Repeat the same layer one more time: 3 noodles, ½ of the remaining sauce, the rest of the ricotta, ½ of the remaining mozzarella and ½ of the remaining Parmesan. For the top layer of the lasagna, use the remaining 3 noodles, the rest of the sauce, and finally the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover the lasagna with a piece of foil that has been coated with cooking spray on the side that is touching the lasagna. This should prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil while it bakes.

Bake the lasagna in the center of the oven, covered with foil, for 45 minutes. Make sure to put a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below the lasagna to catch any drips of sauce. Make sure to do this step or your oven may get smokey.

After 45 minutes, remove the aluminum and continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling on the sides. The cheese should be lightly browned on top when ready.

Once ready, remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Letting your lasagna rest will prevent it from having too much liquid when serving. You can top your lasagna with fresh basil or parsley if desired. Serve with a simple green salad or garlic bread and enjoy!

fresh basil, fresh parsley

Vegetable Lasagna