Family-Style 3-Cheese Vegetarian Lasagna

Lasagna happens to be one of my Top10 favorite dishes of all time.Here is why-- A decade ago when I was a skinny teenager(Size 0) my dad would rant and rave about how my beanpole body is not going to attract any matrimonial alliance. Every week he would get me Stouffer's FamilyStyle Vegetarian Lasagna from the Supermarket and make me finish at least one fourth of it in one sitting. Gone are those days when my dad's main goal was to make me put some pounds. Now he is politely requesting me to shed some. Lol. Regular gorging of that lasagna did help me develop some curves and attract my hubby. For that I am very thankful to the makers of Stouffer's line.Ask my hubby and he would say something different.If not for that Lasagna, I still would have looked like a stick and he wouldn't have ended up marrying a shrew.Ha Ha. Thats how Lasagna ended up as my all-time favorite.Inspite of this being my favorite I don't make it often due to its high calorific content.

Ingredients:

• Lasagna Noodles - 12, uncooked
• Breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup, for topping
  
• Grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup, for topping

For the White Sauce/Bechamel Sauce:

• All-purpose Flour - 1/3 cup
• Butter - 1/3 cup or more(FYI: 1 stick makes 1/2 cup)
  
• Milk - 2 cups
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Nutmeg - a pinch

For the Stuffing:

• Carrot - 2, small, peeled
• Spinach - 1, frozen 10 oz pack, thawed and completely drained
• Broccoli - 8-10 florets
• Red Onion - 1, small
• Garlic - 3-4 cloves
• Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 cup, grated
  
• Mozzarella Cheese - 2 cups(about 8 ounces)
• Ricotta Cheese - 30 oz (2 15 oz cartons)
• Parsley - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Oregano - 1 tbsp, chopped (optional)

Procedure:

• Partially cook the lasagna noodles for 15 minutes. Drain on paper-towel lined dish.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a pan, melt the butter,add the flour and keep stirring constantly. Just before it turns brown, add the milk, salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
• Remove the sauce from the stove once it thickens slightly.
• Add the spinach and all the vegetables, herbs under "Stuffing" to a food processor. Finely dice.
  

• Add the spinach and all the vegetables, herbs under "Stuffing" to a food processor. Finely dice.
• Mix the diced veggies with all the cheese under "Stuffing" and set aside.
• In an ungreased rectangular pan(13 X 9 X 2 inches) add a small amount of white sauce. Top with 4 noodles followed by the Veggie-cheese stuffing. 
• Repeat the above step until all the noodles are used.
• Top with a mixture of grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes and uncovered for another 30 minutes or so until the top is bubbly and slightly brown.
• Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes before cutting and consuming.

Makes ~12 servings.

Enjoy!