I love lasagna… and the idea of a heart healthy lasagna recipe from the Kitchen Diva and Dr. Oz is super exciting!  I read somewhere recently about the idea of cutting zucchini into long thin strips and using it in place of lasagna pasta noodles… so I am thinking about merging Dr. Oz & the Kitchen Diva’s healthy vegetarian lasagna recipe and the zucchini noodle concept by using 1/2 lasagna noodles and 1/2 a zucchini strip “noodles”.

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Dr. Oz & The Kitchen Diva’s Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 pound soy meat alternative (like Soyrizo or sausage flavored soy crumbles!)
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 portobello mushrooms, minced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 TB Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 jar pasta sauce (low sodium)
- 1 jar salsa
- 1/2 tsp sugar substitute
- 14 to 16 lasagna noodles (oven ready or no boil types in whole wheat are best)
- 3/4 pound low fat mozzarella cheese
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese (low fat)
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 lb baby spinach, washed and dried

Directions:
1.  Mix the soy crumbles, olive oil, onion, mushrooms, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and all of the seasoning (except for 1 TB of Italian seasoning) in a microwaveable bowl.  Cook for a few minutes in the microwave, mix with a fork and cook for another few minutes in the microwave.
2.  Simmer the sauce, salsa, sugar substitute and 1/2 TB of Italian seasoning for 10-15 minutes.
3.  In another bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, egg and 1/2 TB of Italian seasoning.
4.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
5.  Put some sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan, layer the noodles, the cheese mixture, the fresh spinach, the mozzarella cheese and repeat.
6.  Cover your 9×13 pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
7.  Take the aluminum foil off and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes