Recipe: My Lasagna

I've had a couple people ask me for this recipe and it's really hard for me to write it down. I've never measured anything for this recipe. I add lots of veggies to mine, it's sort of a way to use what's in the garden or in the fridge so feel free to add your favorite veggies. These are approximate measurements and it should be done to your own taste.

You will need:
1 box of lasagna noodles
1 can of crushed tomatoes (I use the large cans since I make large batches)
1 can of tomato paste
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 chopped onion
around 500g lean ground beef
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 cups of shredded spinach
(1 cup of chopped red pepper, optional)
1.5 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 container of ricotta cheese (approx. 1.5 cups)
2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
2-3 tsp basil (fresh or dried)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
dash of tarragon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure pan for noodles (I do 3 layers, 4 noodles across so I need 12 noodles).

Boil water in a large pot with oil and salt. Add noodles. Boil until tender, strain and set aside.

In a large pan at medium heat, cook onions and garlic. When onions are almost translucent add the beef. Cook thoroughly. Add zucchini and 1 cup of spinach (and bell pepper if you are using it). Cook until zucchini and spinach has darkened. Add can of tomato paste and stir. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine. Season with basil, oregano, pepper, garlic salt and tarragon, stir. Cook until sauce begins to bubble, turn heat to low.

In a medium bowl mix the entire container of ricotta cheese with 1/8 cup Parmesan, 2 cups shredded spinach and 1 tsp basil. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Lightly oil the bottom of your lasagna dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom and top with a layer of noodles. Then add another thicker layer of sauce and top with noodles. The next layer is your cheese layer so spoon the entire ricotta mix on and spread. Top with 1 cup mozzarella and another layer of noodles. Spoon remaining sauce on the top, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover dish with tin foil and bake in oven for 45-50 mins (remove foil for the last 5 mins) or until the cheese and sauce on top begins to bubble. Remove from oven, let cool and serve.

This recipe can be made vegetarian by replacing the beef with a bag of mushrooms (and I would chopped them a bit in the food processor) and if you want to thicken the sauce further you can also add some eggplant.