Mean Green Vegetable Lasagna (No-boil Noodles)

- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then, gather the ingredients to make the vegetable lasagna.

Prep the asparagus by removing the tops (to measure about 1.25 inches). Slice the stems into small pieces. Then, slice the tops in half (lengthwise) to place on top of the finished lasagna right before baking. Prep the broccoli by cutting the crown closest to the florets, and then cutting each large floret into smaller pieces. Lastly, prep the leeks by cutting right where the dark green part meets the light green/white part. Cut that bottom half in half (lengthwise) and slice. Thoroughly wash the sliced leeks in cold water to remove the sand particles. Then, remove the leeks with a spider or sieve.

- Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place the zucchini on the sheet in a pile and season with the oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast in the oven for 7-10 minutes, then flip them over and continue to roast for about 5-6 minutes or until golden.

While the zucchini is roasting, add the kale and garlic cloves to the boiling water. Blanch them for about 3-4 minutes until slightly tender but the kale is still vibrant green. Now, remove the zucchini from the oven and set aside to cool.

- Strain out the blanched kale and garlic from the pot and add them to a blender. Add the other items listed in the Kale Sauce ingredients section. Blend everything together until very smooth. (Be careful to watch the pressure from the heat while blending.)

- The kale sauce should be like that of tomato/pasta sauce after it has been blended thoroughly. If it is too thick, just add a little more broth or stock.

- In a large skillet on medium heat, add the oil, leeks, and garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes until the leeks have softened. Next, add the frozen kale and bouillon and stir until the kale has defrosted and the bouillon has dissolved. Finally, throw in the broccoli and asparagus stems and stir. Cook the vegetables until they are tender but still vibrant green.

- In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients listed under Ricotta Spread.

- In an 8 x 12 baking dish, begin layering the lasagna. First, add some kale sauce to the bottom of the dish. Second, add three pasta sheets of the lasagna. Third, thinly spread the ricotta mixture on the sheets and layer on half of the roasted zucchini. Fourth, add a generous layer of mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses.

Repeat these steps for the second layer (sauce, noodles, ricotta, vegetables, grated cheese), but replace the zucchini with the Vegetable Filling. Then, repeat the steps again, alternating back to the zucchini and using the remaining ricotta. (Total of 3 layers).

- The last layer, following the cheese, will be vegetable filling, noodles, sauce, cheese.

- Arrange the asparagus tops on the last cheese layer. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-7 minutes to brown the cheese.