Rush Hour

I love lasagna! Of course, with a name like Halpin, I might be just a little biased! But, I bet I'm not alone. Admit it, lasagna is one of your favorites too. There's only one major drawback to it: the time and effort it takes to make it. There's boiling the noodles, trying to layer them in the pan without tearing them, and you inevitably end up with too much or not enough.

Well, this month's quick weekday fix is a vegetable lasagna that takes 45 minutes to put together. That's right: 45 minutes. The key to this recipe is the use of no-boil lasagna noodles. There are a few brands available on most grocery store shelves and, if I have my way, they'll continue to be available. No more boiling, draining, and tearing lasagna noodles. Measuring them out is a snap: use 3 noodles for each layer of a 9" x 13" baking dish. And, when you pull out your finished product from the oven, you'll be hooked. Great lasagna with half of the work!

The recipe I've included this month is a vegetable-based lasagna. The traditional meat and tomato sauce version also works great with no-boil noodles. If you really want to use traditional lasagna noodles, leave it for the weekend. No-boil noodles are a real savior when Wednesday rolls around!