OK, so if you’re striving to be good like Mr. C. and I are; trying to cut down on the amount of meat in your diet, and increase the number of veggies, this is the dish for you. There is simply no way you, your family or your friends will feel even the least bit cheated when you dive into a big old portion of my dear friend Sandy’s lasagna. (Some people still have the mistaken belief that if an entrée doesn’t contain meat, it isn’t going to satisfy their appetite. “What fools those mortals be!” (Sorry William for misquoting you, but it was necessary to get my point across!)

This lasagna is so full of flavor and that lovely “pasta dressed in yummy” feel, that no one will even notice that it is “meatless”. (And no, you don’t have to announce that there is no meat in this lasagna. Let it just be your little secret.) Serve it with a lovely salad and hot, crusty bread, and although the earth probably won’t stop spinning, your world might take on a new dimension of happiness.

It’s confession time. When Sandy served this to us one evening after one of their in-home concerts*, I made a complete fool of myself. I simply could not get enough of this lasagna. But Sandy and her husband Alan are good friends, so I’m counting on the fact that by now they have forgiven me for making such a piglet of myself. I just really did not want to stop eating. But thank heaven, they live in Chimacum, and the ferry from Port Townsend that we were scheduled to be on, was fast approaching the dock. So in order not to spend the rest of the night in our car on the ferry waiting line, I had to say goodbye to the lasagna before I literally dove head first into the pan. But Sandy, being the doll that she is, sent me the recipe. She even gave me permission to share it with you. (How cool is that?)

So dear friends, enjoy this amazing recipe. It is just plain over the top delicious! And Sandy, once again, thank you for this marvelous recipe.

*For information about in-home classical concerts in the Port Townsend vicinity visit www.rawsonduo.com.

• 2-4 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large eggplant, partially peeled, sliced 1/4-inch
• 1 red pepper, rough chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, rough chopped
• 10-12 good sized mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• ¼ c. chopped fresh basil
• ¼ c. dry white wine
• 9-oz. oven-ready lasagna noodles (I like Culinary Circle Authentic Bronze-cut Oven-Ready Lasagna noodles
• 4-oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 c. combination of grated Parmesan, cheddar, Mozzarella – whatever is on hand

Sauté eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onion and garlic in olive oil until soft – each type of vegetable separately – adding salt and pepper to each new veggie.  As each veggie finishes cooking, remove to a bowl and start the next veggie. Then, in the same pan, after all the veggies have been sautéed, add the crushed tomato, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and wine.  Add the reserved veggies. Mix all together, layer with no-boil lasagna noodles, with a layer of goat cheese in between, and top with whatever cheese is in the fridge. Sandy lets the olive oil and veggies speak for themselves.

Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbly and the top is a nice golden brown. Allow to sit a few minutes before serving.