Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach & Ricotta

Vegetarian lasagna (aka veggie lasagna) might be a bit of a cliche, but everyone loves it, and it has the great advantages that you can do it ahead for a crowd, and it finishes in the oven, so you can concentrate on your guests. I make mine without a bechamel sauce, opting for a spinach and ricotta mixture to provide the creaminess. I also prefer it to set up to a fairly firm, sliceable pie, but if you like a wetter version, you could do the sauce 1.5 x or even double. The keys to a great veggie lasagna are (1) get all the liquid out of the veggies, and (2) get the cheese on top really crispy. You don't want to go too heavy on the vegetables, otherwise, you can get a lot of weeping and/or unpleasant crunchiness. I make this with no-boil lasagna noodles. They are pretty much just standard noodles except rolled thinner so that they simply cook in the sauce while the lasagna bakes. They need more sauce to ensure proper moistening. If you want to use regular noodles, just boil them first according to package directions and simmer the tomato sauce a bit more to thicken it (or use less of it).