Hearty Vegetarian Lasagna

Tofu is a well-kept secret in this delicious pasta bake.

Ingredients

• 6 lasagna noodles (5 1/2 ounces total)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 pound silken tofu
• 1/2 cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 can (8 ounces) no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 4 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites

How to make it  60 minutes



• 1

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles according to package directions until firm-tender. Drain.
• 2

  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 4 minutes or until they begin to give up their juices. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until no liquid remains. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the lemon zest, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Toss well.
• 3

  In a food processor, combine the tofu, cottage cheese, ricotta, 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the tomato sauce, tomato paste, whole egg, egg whites, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and process to a smooth purée.
• 4

  Spray a 7 x 11-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with 2 of the lasagna noodles. Spoon half of the spinach mixture and one-third of the tofu mixture over the noodles. Make another layer of noodles, the remaining spinach mixture, and another one-third of the tofu mixture. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles and the remaining tofu mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot.