I forgot to share my veggie lasagna recipe with you. Unfortunately there is no chance of a photo here, as it is long gone. It turned out to be a derivative of the New York Times recipe for lasagna with chard and ricotta. I added more veggies and substituted cottage cheese. When I make veggie lasagna this way again, I’d probably subtract the egg- the cottage cheese isn’t quite as thick as the ricotta. Other than that, it’s pretty delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound regular or no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 generous bunch Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 squash
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• leftover eggplant (cooked)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 jar tomato sauce
• dried oregano, basil
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• mozzarella cheese

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you prepare the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. Tear the leaves from the stems and wash thoroughly in two changes of water. Discard the stems or set aside for another purpose.
2. When the water comes to a boil, add the Swiss chard leaves. Boil 1 minute (from the time the water comes back to a boil), until tender but still bright green, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer to the ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
3. In a wide, nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the veggies, saute for a few minutes, add the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove the basil sprig. Stir in the Swiss chard and remove from the heat.
4. Mix cottage cheese, mozzarella, egg, dried basil, dried oregano.
5. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil a square or rectangular baking dish (no bigger than 2-quart) and line the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles.
6. Layer tomato-veggie sauce / cottage cheese mixture / parmesan / lasagna noodles. Repeat a few times and finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes, or until bubbling and the pasta is tender. Uncover, allow to sit for 5 minutes, and serve.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: You can blanch the chard and make the sauce up to 3 days ahead. Refrigerate in covered containers. The lasagna can be assembled a day ahead of time and refrigerated until shortly before baking.