Grain-Free/Vegan - Unbelievably Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna

I love Betty Crocker....well at least I love her for giving me ideas!  When I'm lost in the world of hunger, I browse through her cookbook.  Almost all of her recipes are not vegan let alone gluten free, but.....the ideas are there.  I was looking at a vegetarian lasagna - which was LOADED with cheese :( - and she had a fabulous idea to use pesto in the mix.  I thought....hrmmm, what a genius idea!  Well, she was right!  This recipe does involve quite a few steps, but I was able to eat on this for lunch and dinner for 3 days....and feed my mom too, of course!  Definitely worth the time.....it's so cheesy and very filling!

Unbelievably Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna
1 medium Zucchini
Grapeseed Oil
3 cups Broccoli, diced florets and sliced stem
3 Carrots, grated (shredded)
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 medium Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 Red Onion, diced
1 batch Perfect Vegan Pesto (http://veganisnotjustsalad.blogspot.com/2010/10/perfect-vegan-pesto.html)
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Himalayan Salt
3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
1 clove Garlic, pushed through garlic press or finely chopped
3 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
2 cups Unsweetened Plain Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix Seasoning
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast

Coat the bottom of a casserole pan with grapseed oil.  Preheat oven to 350.  Thinly slice zucchini with a mandoline slicer, or using a vegetable peeler, into long strips.  Place 1/2 the strips in the bottom of the casserole pan to create the "noodles" at the bottom.

sliced zucchini

In a large bowl combine, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, pesto and salt.  Mix very well until all the vegetables are coated with pesto.  Spread evenly over the zucchini.  (If you want to make a layered lasagna, you can separate this into two batches and use one more zucchini sliced to make the middle layer and a little extra on the top and bottom).  Add a final layer of zucchini to the top.

grated carrots

broccoli

bell pepper

tomatoes

onions

veggie mix added to the top of the zucchini

Heat grapeseed oil and garlic over medium heat.  Cook until garlic turns golden, stirring constantly.  Add Nutritional Yeast, Pesto Mix Seasoning and arrowroot and mix well, until fully incorporated.  Add Almond Milk and heat to boiling.  The sauce thickens very quickly.  Be sure not to over cook or it becomes like pudding.  If you over heat the mixture and it becomes to thick, add a couple tablespoons of almond milk to thin it out. Pour this mixture over the top of the "lasagna".

Almond Milk mixture poured over the top

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes.  If you can (wink) wait 10 minutes before cutting into the lasagna.

Fresh out of the oven

To serve drizzle with a little pesto olive oil (I made two batches of pesto and drizzled a little oil over  my dinner and added a dollop of pesto to the top)