Little Tummy Yummies: Vegetable Lasagna

I do not know what else to say about this recipe but it is THE BEST. This was the first recipe that I made for the whole family to enjoy together! Every time Addison sees it coming on her plate she waves her hands excitedly (this is how she always shows excitement) AND she eats/wants to eat so much at some point I have to cut her off because I am scared she will make herself sick. This recipe is also fabulous because it is full of vegetables and dairy!

I know it seems like a lot of ingredients and although it is slight time consuming, it is worth it if your little one loves it as much as mine! Allow me to warn your pallete, it is a southwestern take on lasgana so be prepared--it is very different.

ALLERGY AND TASTE WARNING: There are MANY ingredients in this recipe. Be sure to introduce these one by one to eliminate any potential allergies OR be on the lookout for any reactions after your Little One eats this. Also, tomato and tomato sauces are acidic and some babies (and toddlers) do not like tomatoes until their taste buds are a little more developed. Little Joy had eaten spaghetti with tomato sauce before and loved it so I did not figre we would have trouble.

**This is adapted from a Southern Living recipe**

Ingredients

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese (if making for adults only use Monterey jack cheese with peppers)
2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (2-pound, 13-ounce) jar pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
9 precooked lasagna noodles
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°
Stir together first 5 ingredients and 1 cup cheese; set aside.
Mash beans with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl; stir in pasta sauce and cumin.
Spread one-third of bean mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture, and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Again, Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture, and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese.
Spread with one-third bean mixture
Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining bean mixture.
Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour
Uncover and top with remaining cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: LOTS (see pictures to follow)

Timing: This depends on your baby's ability to chew/grind. If your baby demonstrates the ability to chew well and has some teeth, this would be appropriate. Test a few small bites first to make sure they grind some. After this is cooked everything is very soft but since it is hard to cut up/mash very very small it is important your little one be an efficient chewer.

Serve: Serve to your baby warm and cut or mashed up to whatever consistency appropriate for you baby's age and chewing ability. Try to avoid the edges of the lasagna when serving to your Little One because it tends to be tough/hard.

Storage: We saved it in the fridge and ate off of it for 5 days and then froze Little Joy sized portions in ziplocks. I plan to use within 1-2 months.

Miscellaneous: Ok, this is totally gross but I need to share it.....spinach is one of the dominate ingredients in this dish and it does not digest completely. Yes, that means you will see it when it comes out. I am sharing this so you are not alarmed it honestly grossed me out a bit.

Difficulty: 5 out of 5. Of all the foods I have served to Little Joy this one was the most time consuming and involved the most steps and ingredients. BUT as you will see in the Epicutie Rating, it was worth it. I would make it everyday just to see her excitement!

Epicutie Rating: YUMMY IN THE TUMMY-- see right side of page for descriptions

As I said in the opening, Little Joy cannot get enough of this. Hands down, this is her favorite dish ever of all times ever thus far.