Vegetable Lasagna

Pumpkin Mix:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 cups fine bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red and green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground pepper to taste

Lasagna Sauce:

• 4 28-ounce cans – ground peeled tomatoes
• salt – 1 tablespoon
• pepper – 2 teaspoons
• garlic – 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• oregano – 1 tablespoon
• sugar – 2 teaspoons
• 1 pound mushrooms, stemmed and cut into quarters

Lasagna:

• 1 pound lasagna noodles
• 32 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 4 teaspoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound (12 ounces) mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese

Preparing the Sauce

Mix together pumpkin mix to produce a thick paste.

Crush the tomatoes in a big pot. Add seasonings. Add pumpkin mix and stir it all in. Remove stems from mushrooms and cut into quarters, then stir into the sauce. Cover the pot. Bring your stovetop to medium heat, and heat the pot for about 15 minutes before bringing the heat down to a low simmer (about 2 to 3 on a 1-to-10 dial setting).

Leave the cover on the pot, and simmer for 90 minutes. (Uncover the pot to stir it every 20 minutes or so.) After this, uncover the pot and taste-test the sauce. If you feel it should be more spicy, add more ground pepper. Leave the pot uncovered, raise the heat slightly (to about 3 to 4 on a setting of 1-to-10) to compensate for the uncovered pot, and let it simmer for another hour (or more if you feel it needs more time) to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Preparing the Lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Add at least 2 gallons of water to a large pot. Salt the water with about 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water (2 gallons of water = 2 tablespoons of salt). Do not add oil to the water while boiling – the oil will coat the lasagna noodles and keep the sauce from sticking.

While the water is heating up, use cheesecloth or a very fine strainer to drain the liquid from the ricotta cheese – not enough to dry it out, but enough excess liquid to keep it from being runny. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with egg, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt. To add flavor, add a "palmful" of parmesan and two "palmfuls" of mozzarella to the cheese mixture.

Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. The noodles should be somewhat tougher than al dente – a little more chewy than you would normally serve pasta for eating. (That's because the noodles should not be too soft! Tougher noodles will hold the layers of the lasagna together. Also, this lasagna will bake with sauce and cheese, and it will absorb liquid from the other ingredients.) Drain the noodles, and rinse with cold water.

To assemble, spread 6 lasagna noodles lengthwise over the bottom of the dish. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Cover the ricotta cheese with mozzarella. Spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the mozzarella. Cover the sauce with a layer of noodles. Repeat layers: ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sauce, noodles. For the final layer, top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add meatballs from the sauce over the top, placing them across the lasagna. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.