Vegetarian week at our house... got a TNT veggie lasagna to share??

[Maverick2272]

We are planning out a veggie week at our house. One week with no meat in any of the dishes we make for supper.
The trick is it can't be 'blatantly' veggie to the point my son won't eat it. I think we have most of it hammered out with some Thai and Indian dishes as well as a veggie burger night and eggplant Parmesan night. Oh and found a recipe for veggie chili that looks real good too.
But, I am still looking for a good veggie lasagna recipe to try out. Not one of those from the store that is drowned in white sauce types, but a good flavorful one preferably still with a tomato based sauce to it and plenty of cheeses in it and yes veggies as well.
Anyone got a good one to share??

 

[Katie H]

Mav, I'm late seeing this thread, but there's a good eggplant lasagna I have. I know you've already put eggplant Parmesan on your menu, but this might be an addition that would work.

In short, the eggplant is sliced very, very thinly (like on a mandolin) and used in place of the pasta noodles.

Quite good and a real fooler for non-meat eaters. I'll see if I can find the recipe for you.

 

[Maverick2272]

Cool, thanks!

 

[larry_stewart]

When I make lasagna, being a veggie myself, I use MORNINGSTAR FARMS® MEAL STARTERS™ GRILLERS™ RECIPE CRUMBLES™ " in place of the meat layer. A few additional cheese layers, red sauce ( of course) and coming from someone who likes to eat, it taste pretty good.

Morningstar Farms® - Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers™ Recipe Crumbles™

easily founfd in our local grocery store frozen section.
Just have to be careful, there are a few different varieties that are bagged very similarly. Make sure to read the package and grab the right one . Ive grabbed the wrong one a few times..

larry

 

[LPBeier]

Mav, when I was cooking for 20 vegetarians at camp, and we had lasagne once a week during the summer, I got very creative.

I made a marinara sauce and then layered regular noodles, mushrooms and onions, cottage cheese mixed with an egg and mozzarella (you can use ricotta instead of cottage cheese), roasted peppers chopped and mixed with roasted garlic, and the sauce. I did once used eggplant as a layer but in addition to, not instead of, the noodles.

Don't know if that helps.

 

[Maverick2272]

Mav, when I was cooking for 20 vegetarians at camp, and we had lasagne once a week during the summer, I got very creative.

I made a marinara sauce and then layered regular noodles, mushrooms and onions, cottage cheese mixed with an egg and mozzarella (you can use ricotta instead of cottage cheese), roasted peppers chopped and mixed with roasted garlic, and the sauce. I did once used eggplant as a layer but in addition to, not instead of, the noodles.

Don't know if that helps.

Yer like me, you need to start writing this stuff down when you do it, LOL!
Yes it helps.. thanks!

 

[Katie H]

Mav, when I was cooking for 20 vegetarians at camp, and we had lasagne once a week during the summer, I got very creative.

I made a marinara sauce and then layered regular noodles, mushrooms and onions, cottage cheese mixed with an egg and mozzarella (you can use ricotta instead of cottage cheese), roasted peppers chopped and mixed with roasted garlic, and the sauce. I did once used eggplant as a layer but in addition to, not instead of, the noodles.

Don't know if that helps.

Sounds great, Laurie. I'm not a vegetarian but all your ingredients sound wonderful. There's not one I don't like 'cept cottage cheese. Not that I don't like cottage cheese, but I much prefer the creaminess of ricotta in this application.

 

[Maverick2272]

I like cottage cheese with canned fruits, especially peaches and pears. Just put a cup of cottage cheese in a bowl and add four peach, pear, or naval orange slices on top and eat!
Uh, anyway... yea so ricotta cheese I like on lasagna. I got time, so while I wait for other ideas I will fiddle with this list of ingredients and see what I come up with for recipe ideas.
Thanks!

 

[Katie H]

Have to give you kuddos for doing the vegetarian "week." However, perhaps a full week might be too much for your meat-eating family at the beginning. Buck was a real meat-eater and loved his meat and taters meals.

I always liked to provide variety to my family and planned menus to include beef/veal, poultry, pork, fish/seafood, lamb, meatless.

The family was always receptive to all I have listed until the last category. However, after much recipe and nutrition searching, I was able to win them over.

You might want to try this in baby steps instead of "whacking over the head" method. Over time, they might not even realize they're eating meatless meals twice a week.

 

[Maverick2272]

Oh we eat veggie only dishes on a regular basis, especially when making Thai (Pad Thai with tofu) or Indian (first try was a curry with spinach and some sort of white softish cheese - I can't remember off the top of my head what it was called; second time was a curry with tofu and chick peas) dishes.
This is just the first time we decided to do a whole week. In fact a lot has changed over the years. Used to be I could count on one hand how many meals were NOT made with red meat, now I can count on one hand how many ARE.
The only challange in the family is my son, he does not like veggies at all. But we sneak em in on him all the time and do what we can to encourage him to keep trying as opposed to forcing him. Seems to be having a more positive effect.
Still boggles my mind he doesn't like corn (not even corn on the cob), after all I am from Iowa!!

 

[LPBeier]

I think I mentioned this before but I was a full vegetarian for many years but due to medical reasons had to put meat protein back in my diet at least a few days a week. When I eat out I will go "meatless" or "vegetarian" (not always the same thing because meatless can be a pasta with alfredo sauce, but vegetarian will usually have a protein alternative). And we do several meals a week the same way.

 

[miniman]

You could make a your usual lasagna but using a lentil base instead of the meat. The lentils need a little more flavouring than meat but work very well in meat free dishes.

 

[larry_stewart]

What I would do ( if I were using strictly veggies and not meat substitutes) is take mushrooms, onions, peppers, eggplant and mince them kinda fine. Fry them up in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, basil to give it that Italian flavor. Then use this in place of the meat layer. The reason id mince it kinda fines is to give it kind of ground meat texture ( not the chewiness, but the size). The flavors of all the veggies used all taste good with a red sauce, so taste isnt an issue. But sometimes I find it annoying when im eating a lasagna with full pieces of veggies ( zucchini, eggplant...) and u bite into it and a whole piece comes out. ALso, after frying up the veggies (just enough to cook them up) May want to somehow drain some ofthe liquid off them. Since the veggies conatain a lot of water ( especially after adding the salt) the lasagna may be a little watery or fall apart easily if veggies only used. I guess another thing u can do to hold it together is make it a veggie/cheese layer, so as the cheese melts, it will bind the veggies together .

larry

 

[LPBeier]

Very good point LS

 

[Alix]

Maverick, does it have to be a traditional lasagna or can you do lasagna roll ups? Roll ups are more kid friendly and they are easier to make completely vegetarian (IMO). Here are two versions:

In both, cook the noodles til they are still a bit firm but workable.

Filling #1: grated mozzarella, egg (binder), some parmesan cheese. (I'm not giving amounts because I don't know how many you are cooking for. You can probably eyeball it without too much trouble though)

Filling #2: package of frozen spinach - thawed and water squeezed out, mozza, egg and parmesan.

Put a couple of spoonfuls of the filling on the noodle and pat it down all the way, leaving about 1/2 inch at the end of the noodle that is bare. Make sure you don't put too much filling on each noodle. Roll it up and "stick" it with the bare end on the outside of the roll up. Cut it in half and place cut sides down in a casserole filled with tomato sauce (or marinara). Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and put in the oven to heat through and melt all the cheese. (About 20 - 30 minutes, long enough to make a good salad and cut up a loaf of french bread)

 

[PieSusan]

We are planning out a veggie week at our house. One week with no meat in any of the dishes we make for supper.
The trick is it can't be 'blatantly' veggie to the point my son won't eat it. I think we have most of it hammered out with some Thai and Indian dishes as well as a veggie burger night and eggplant Parmesan night. Oh and found a recipe for veggie chili that looks real good too.
But, I am still looking for a good veggie lasagna recipe to try out. Not one of those from the store that is drowned in white sauce types, but a good flavorful one preferably still with a tomato based sauce to it and plenty of cheeses in it and yes veggies as well.
Anyone got a good one to share??

Shavuot is a holiday where meatless meals are eaten. If you check out this link: Jewish Food Mailing List Archives and click on Shavuot, you will find savory meatless dishes. I often recommend this site.

 

[ChefJune]

Maverick, does it have to be a traditional lasagna or can you do lasagna roll ups? Roll ups are more kid friendly and they are easier to make completely vegetarian (IMO). Here are two versions:

In both, cook the noodles til they are still a bit firm but workable.

Filling #1: grated mozzarella, egg (binder), some parmesan cheese. (I'm not giving amounts because I don't know how many you are cooking for. You can probably eyeball it without too much trouble though)

Filling #2: package of frozen spinach - thawed and water squeezed out, mozza, egg and parmesan.

Put a couple of spoonfuls of the filling on the noodle and pat it down all the way, leaving about 1/2 inch at the end of the noodle that is bare. Make sure you don't put too much filling on each noodle. Roll it up and "stick" it with the bare end on the outside of the roll up. Cut it in half and place cut sides down in a casserole filled with tomato sauce (or marinara). Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and put in the oven to heat through and melt all the cheese. (About 20 - 30 minutes, long enough to make a good salad and cut up a loaf of french bread)

That's a great idea, Alix, because the ideas for filling those rollups are endless. Onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, celery could all be chopped fine and sautéed and cooled, then mixed with grated mozzarella and crumbled ricotta and used for the lasagna rolls, too. Buddy, I bet your son wouldn't even realize those were veggies he was eating!

PieSusan, the only downside of Shavuot recipes for Buddy right now, is that it is a summer holiday, so many of the dishes may be lighter than what one might want in January.

Buddy, I have a great meatless lasagna recipe, but when I think "Vegetarian Week," I generally think of things with not much dairy in them, and my lasagna has FOUR different cheeses, and lots of them. It's awfully good, tho. Kinda "green," but has Marinara on the side. Let me know if it sounds like you would want it.

 

[PieSusan]

^ChefJune, I would eat blintzes, for example, any time of the year.

There are also savory kugels and quiche. I can think of a lot of foods that would transfer over.

 

[Maverick2272]

I am loving all of these ideas, and thanks for the tips Larry! Anything with cheese would go over real well with the kids, even the big kids LOL.
ChefJune, I am definitely interested! I guess I should just say a meatless week is what we are doing. Nothing else is excluded except meat.
Thanks everyone for the great ideas, Alix both those recipes sound great!

 

[Katie H]

You could go Mexi and make cheese and/or onion enchiladas. Those are yummy. Tacos, subbing the ground meat with black beans or refried beans.