*** Meatless "Lent-sagna" Homemade Lasagna

Sauce

• 24 oz Boca crumbles, original flavor (2 12oz packages)
• 8 oz mushrooms, finely diced
• Italian spices
• dried parsley
• black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• garlic powder
• crushed red pepper flakes
• crushed star anise or fennel seeds
• paprika
• dried minced onion
• salt (if needed)
• 2 whole garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, and minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 28oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 12 oz tomato paste (2 cans)
• 1/4 cup water
• sugar, to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes

Ricotta filling

• 3 cups whole milk ricotta
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb Mozzarella cheese, grated, DIVIDED

Pasta

• 1 batch of KitchenAid pasta dough

Pasta:

Get the pasta dough ready and in the fridge. You'll roll it out just before assembling.

For the Sauce:

In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat; sauté chopped onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until they start to soften. Add in minced garlic, boca crumbles, spices, and mushrooms. Stir occasionally until the meat browned.

Measure and add in the teaspoon of kosher salt and a tablespoon of each basil, parsley flakes and oregano. 

Add in the 12 ounces of tomato paste.

Crush each San Marzano tomato by hand into small pieces over the pot (to catch any juices). Add any remaining sauce from the can. Add a quarter cup of water to the can, swirl to remove any excess sauce and pour that in as well. Stir to combine.

Reduce the heat to low, replace the lid on your Dutch oven and let the sauce simmer for 45 minutes. Taste and add in a bit of sugar and red pepper flakes to taste.

While the sauce is simmering make the ricotta mixture. 

In a large bowl combine the 3 cups of ricotta, two eggs, parsley, black pepper and a half cup of both Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Stir and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Once the fillings are ready, get a large pot of salted water boiling, and prepare an ice bath. 

Roll the pasta dough out into sheets of thickness setting 7 (setting 8 was almost too thin). Cut them to fit into the lasagna pan you have available. You need enough for 5 layers of noodles. The rest of the dough can be rolled out to whatever thickness/shape you want.

When ready to assemble, as the sheets are needed, one sheet at a time, cook the pasta for TEN SECONDS then immediately place into the ice bath. Pull the sheet out of the ice bath and use it to assemble.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Layers:

1. 1/3 meat sauce + noodles
2. 1/2 ricotta + noodles
3. 1/2 mozzarella + noodles
4. 1/3 meat sauce + noodles
5. 1/2 ricotta mixture + noodles
6. 1/3 meat sauce & 1/2 mozzarella

NOTE: You will end up with leftover pasta, but 1/2 recipe is not quite enough.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until cheese is thoroughly melted and golden. After baking let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 12 servings, 12 WW PointsPlus each.

Adapted from:

http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/11/classic-homemade-lasagna.html

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/lasagna-bolognese