Vegetarian Lasagna

Published in the Maine Times in the 1972 saying it came from Buxton School Recipes.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 large panb

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 5  chopped garlic cloves
• 2  stalks  chopped celery
• 2  chopped green peppers
• 1⁄2 lb  chopped mushroom
• 1  chopped eggplant (2 if they are small)
• 1  chopped zucchini (2 medium sized)
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
•  oregano
•  garlic powder
•  salt
•  pepper
• 12  lasagna noodles
• 1  lb mozzarella cheese, sliced fairly thin
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ricotta cheese or 1 1⁄2 lbs cottage cheese
• 1⁄2 cup  grated parmesan cheese
•  sesame seeds (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. Be careful) (optional) or  sunflower seeds (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. Be careful) (optional) or   celery salt (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. Be careful) (optional) or   diced  almonds (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. Be careful) (optional)

Directions

1. Cook lasagna in large amount of boiling water for 10 minute and drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large kettle or dutch oven. Add chopped vegetables and saute until they are soft. Stir to prevent sticking. Add tomato paste, sauce, seasonings and seeds or nuts. Simmer about 15 minutes wile thelasagna is boiling.
3. Take a large roasting or baking pan. You are going to arrange everything in layers.
4. First put in a third of the sauce, with 5 strips of lasagna. This is one layer. Then spread on half of the ricotta cheese. (It is hard to spread, so put it on in little blips and spread it out. Next lay on half of the mozzarella strips and half of the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a little more oregano over this.
5. Repeat the whole process saving some sauce.
6. Top with the sauce.
7. Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes. Take out and let it sit for about 15 minute to "conglutinate it.".