Vegetable Lasagna

I'm sure there are tons of veggie lasagna recipes out there, and I don't claim to have the best one. This is, however, one that the boys in this house will eat and used up the end-of-summer produce from our garden.

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
fresh tomatoes (I used about 15 small Romas, because that's what we had)
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
i small onion, chopped so finely that no one will recognize it
1 c. spinach (I use chopped, frozen stuff)
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 tbs. butter
4 tbs. flour
2 c. milk
salt
pepper
garlic powder
2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tub ricotta cheese
2 eggs
lasagna noodles

To Make:

Boil lasagna noodles for a few minutes to soften, then set aside to cool.

Prepare all fresh ingredients.

Melt butter in saucepan and then add flour. Cook flour for a minute or two, stirring frequently. It smells like pie crust when it's done. Slowly whisk in milk and add seasonings. Whisk occasionally while continuing to cook over medium heat. Sauce will thicken after a few minutes. Set it aside.

In a bowl, mix together ricotta, a handful or two of the mozzarella, and eggs. Add some salt and pepper. I also tossed my basil in this mixture.

Begin layering ingredients in 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan. Start with a layer of lasagna noodles, then pile stuff in any way you like. I tried to make sure I either poured some of the white sauce or sprinkled some of the mozzarella on top of each layer of veggies. Save some mozzarella to sprinkle over the top of the lasagna.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Why I Love This: Both Ben AND the little boys will eat it without too much complaining about the fact that there are lots of vegetables in it. I also like that it doesn't really matter what kind of veggies you throw in...everything tastes good when it's covered by that much cheese.

How I Serve It: I look for excuses to use grated parmesan cheese in my every day life, and think this is a perfect opportunity to do so. A little bit sprinkled over the top of a big square of lasagna is delicious.