Lazy Mama's Vegetarian Lasagna

The other day the husband called me at 4pm to say he was on his way home and he was HUNGRY.  Like, this man was calling ahead to find out what was for dinner, HUNGRY.  Less than 30 minutes later he walks through the door and is ready to eat.  Meanwhile, I don't usually start making dinner until around 5pm and I was still knee deep in my work from home stuff while trying to get the kiddo to sit down and finish his schoolwork for the day.

BWHAHAHAHAHA....silly husband.

So clearly dinner was NOT ready at 4:30pm and on top of that- I really had NO CLUE what I was going to make.  My plan for that day was to put something in the crockpot but as any busy Mama knows- sometimes even this task is insurmountable.  After staring at the fridge for way too long and hoping and praying something would magically appear- I pulled together this really great and vegetarian meal that left my HANGRY HUSBAND full and satisfied.

Lazy Mama's Vegetarian Lasagna

1 large package (18oz or more) cheese ravioli *cheese & spinach is good as well

1 jar marinara sauce or leftover homemade sauce

1 onion, diced

6 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup REAL grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Step 1:  Saute your diced onions and chopped garlic in a little olive oil.  You can also use avocado or coconut oil but for this dish- I like the flavor of the olive oil better.  Add your teaspoon of italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

*If you are meat eaters- now would be the time to add in some ground beef or maybe some italian sausage.  You won't need much as this should NOT be a meat filled dish.  Cook it with your onions and garlic and you're good to go.

Step 2:  Set aside approximately 1 cup of your marinara sauce.  

When your onions and garlic are cooked and translucent, add in your marinara sauce (NOT the sauce you reserved & set to the side) to your pan.  You do not need to really boil this or cook it- but rather just warm it up while you get out your other ingredients.  Seriously, don't worry about this much. 

*This is the reason I always make a double batch of marinara when cooking spaghetti because I can then store the leftovers in a canning jar in my fridge for up to one week and use for another dish.  Perfection!

But if you don't make your own, please just use a good quality, organic jarred sauce.  It'll be OK- I promise.

Step 3:  Remember that saved marinara that you didn't add to your pan?  Now you will pour it evenly in a glass 9X13.  If you feel the need to spray it down first, go for it.  But really- as long as your marinara covers the bottom, you're good to go!

Step 4:  Build your lasagna!  

Start by placing a layer of your ravioli over the marinara.  Then grab your sauce from the pot and pour over the top.  Add half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan.

Repeat until you've used all your ravioli.

*And yes, you can totally use fake parm from the green canister but trust me on this one, the real deal is SO much better!

Step 5:  Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.  Everything is pretty much cooked, so your just combining flavors and melting the cheeses here.  

When you take it out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes.  This is a good time to make a salad or some other side dish.

And that's it.  You're totally done!  How easy was this business?!?