Vegetarian Lasagna

Hi everyone! Mindy just invited me to join, so I thought I'd post something now while I'm thinking of it. And why not post my best dish? Now I love to cook, and I think I have found some good recipes, but at our house we really love this vegetarian lasagna. In fact, I've never met anyone who doesn't (even the most die-hard meat eater around won't be able to complain). That being said, it's also good with about a 1/2 pound of cooked spicy sausage if you really want it in there. Also something to note: this is not a fast meal. I only cook it on days when I'll be able to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but it's worth it. Enjoy!

Sauce:
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color, or a combination), chopped
32 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
2 Tbsp. parsley flakes
½ c. red wine, cranberry juice, or water
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. sugar
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

rosemary (opt.)

About 8-10 lasagna noodles
Baby spinach, washed

Cheese filling:
1 egg
1 lb. small-curd cottage cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese
½ c. freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated

Directions:

1. Sautee the onion and bell pepper in a little olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and stir to mix. Simmer until it cooks down to about ½ of the original volume (about 1-2 hours).
2. When the sauce is ready, cook the lasagna noodles according to package direction.
3. Combine the ingredients for the cheese filling.
4. Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-in pan. Add a layer of noodles (half of the noodles cooked). Add about ½ of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Then add a layer of spinach and cover that with sauce.
5. Arrange half of the mozzarella cheese on top. Now add another layer of noodles (the other half), the remaining cheese mixture, spinach and sauce.
6. Place in a 375° oven for 20 minutes. Place a layer of mozzarella cheese on top. Continue to bake until the sauce is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting or it'll be sloppy beyond all belief.