OLIVE GARDEN – GARDEN LASAGNA – Copykat

Most of us enjoy Lasagna. I really like traditional lasagna made with ground beef, but I also like the Alfredo lasagna served at the Olive Garden. I don’t even like peppers, but I still enjoy this meatless variety. Enjoy!

YOU WILL NEED:
Alfredo Sauce:
 1/2 lb. sweet or salted butter- 2 sticks
 12 oz. heavy cream
 Fresh ground pepper
 1 1/2 cups fresh Parmesan, grated
Directions:

Heat water to a boil in the bottom ofa double boiler. Add butter, cream and pepper to thetop pot and heat until butter is completely melted,then stir in Parmesan until melted and blended.Remove top pot and set aside to cool. Divide the Lasagna sauce into 2 equal portions. Refrigerate 1 portion for use later.

 Ricotta Cheese Mix:
 1 pint Ricotta cheese
(if Ricotta is too strong for your taste, you can use 1 pint of Cottage cheese instead.)
2 oz. Romano, grated
 3 oz. Mozzarella, shredded
 2 tbls. green onions, sliced
 2 teas. fresh parsley, chopped
 1/2 teas. salt
 1/8 teas. black pepper
 1/4 teas. dried basil
 1/4 teas. dried oregano
 1 1/4 cups Alfredo sauce, cooled
Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Set aside at room temp.

 Vegetable Mix:
(use the vegetables that your family will like, this is what Olive Garden uses in their lasagna.

You could use spinach, chicken, sausage, etc. to exchange for some of the veggies.

 4 cups broccoli florets
 2 cups carrots, sliced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
 2 cups red bell peppers, diced
 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
 1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 cups zucchini, sliced

 Combine all veggies & mix well

 Lasagna noodles
 Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9×13 pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer.
Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions
until barely “al dente” and drain.
18 slices Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 oz. each
or use grated cheese.

 ASSEMBLY:

Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with vegetable spray. Lay out cooked lasagna strips (about 3-4 ) to cover entire bottom. Spread 1−1/4 c of the Ricotta mix evenly over the strips. Top with 8 c of veggie mix and spread out evenly. Lay out 9 of the mozzarella slices, or enough grated cheese to cover the veggie layer. Repeat this layering. Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1−1/4 c ricotta cheese mix to finish.

 COOKING:

Spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about an hour or until done. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes, covered, before cutting and serving. Immediately prior to serving, heat the reserved portion of Alfredo Sauce and ladle the hot sauce over each slice of lasagna as it is served.

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