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Soybean Milk and Deep-Fried Dough Sticks.

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Breakfast dishes in China widely differ from region to region. Chinese people usually eat soybean milk and deep-fried dough sticks, steamed buns, tofu pudding, wheat noodles, or rice noodles for breakfast. Here we introduce some traditional, popular, and famous Chinese breakfast foods. These dishes are readily found in snack streets every morning.

1. Soybean Milk and Deep-Fried Dough Sticks

Golden deep-fried dough sticks

This breakfast set usually appears together. The two components are the most common breakfast combination. Some locals also like to have deep-fried dough sticks with rice congee.

Soybean milk is made with a blender. You can find freshly blended or boiled soy milk in disposable cups at most breakfast stalls. It's very convenient for a take-out.

Deep-fried dough sticks are long, brown, deep-fried sticks of dough. You can eat one as it is or dip it in some soybean milk, which has a better taste.

2. Steamed Buns

baozi

Chinese people eat steamed buns at any meal, but they are especially popular at breakfast.

There is an almost endless variety of flavors, both salty and sweet. Salty flavored buns are stuffed with ground pork, eggplant, eggs, and vegetables, such as chives. Sweet flavored buns are stuffed with bean paste, creamy custard, sesame seeds, and sugar. They are also very convenient for a take-out.

Some stores sell steamed buns in a small basket with about eight small steamed buns in it. These steamed buns are usually called 'small basket buns' (小笼包 , xiǎolóngbāo /sshyaoww-long-baoww/).

Learn more about Chinese Steamed Stuffed Buns .

3. Rice Porridge or Congee

Rice Porridge

Congee is probably the most common mainstay of Chinese breakfast. It is a mild-flavored rice porridge that has been cooked for a long time with plenty of water to soften the rice.

To give the congee some flavor, it is usually served with different toppings that vary by region, such as pickled vegetables, fermented tofu, peanuts, eggs, and meat.

Sometimes congee's flavor is sweet. Usually, it is made from red beans, coix seeds, peanuts, and black rice. Some find this colorful sweet congee to be so flavorful that it doesn't require any toppings at all.

4. Wontons and Dumplings

Wontons and dumplings

Wontons and dumplings are two similar types of food, which are comprised of a square or round wrapper (a dough skin made of flour and water) and fillings.

Wontons can be boiled in a fragrant and watery broth, steamed in a bamboo steamer, or fried in a high-heat wok. Sometimes, wontons are also served with little noodles to make 'wonton noodles'.

They are available with a large variety of fillings, such as ground pork, shrimp, fish, mushrooms, and other vegetables.

The stuffing found in dumplings is similar to that of wontons, and the cooking method is similar too. Learn more about Wontons and Dumplings.

5. Wheat Noodles

Wheat noodles

In northern China, where wheat is more commonly eaten, a bowl of hot and flavorful wheat noodles is a popular breakfast dish.

In Wuhan, hot-and-dry noodles are eaten at breakfast by almost everyone. This dish is prepared by frying boiled noodles, drying them, then scalding them quickly and adding spicy condiments. The result is chewy and quite tasty.

Lanzhou stretched noodles are a popular halal food in China. The added ingredients are usually beef or lamb.

Now, wheat noodle stores have spread to other parts of China, so you can have wheat noodles in nearly every city. See Chinese noodles for more introductions.

6. Rice Noodles

Rice Noodles

Rice noodles are a good choice if you are allergic to gluten. They are made of rice although they look like wheat noodles and the taste is different. Rice noodles are more commonly eaten in the south, especially in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces.

Guilin rice noodles are a very famous and popular cheap meal. Local people eat the dish not just for breakfast, but also for lunch or dinner. This snack is made with boiled rice noodles, fried peanuts or soybeans, thin slices of different meat, chopped scallions, pickled mustard, and other ingredients that you can choose according to your preferences.

7. Pancakes with Eggs

Pancake (jian bing)

These pancakes (jiang bing) are quickly-cooked thin pancakes or crepes filled with typically savory or spicy ingredients. As popular street food in China, they can be easily found and are a favorite "breakfast on the run".

The pancakes are usually wrapped around a deep-fried crispy dough slice and topped with fried egg, finely chopped mustard pickles, scallions, coriander, and a spicy sauce.

8. Steamed Glutinous Rice

Chinese: 粽子 , zòngzi /dzong-dzuh/ 'rice dumplings';

Taste: salty or sweet

Price: 5 yuan

Rice Dumplings

Rice dumplings are made of steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. They can be bought at street stalls and have a variety of tasty fillings, including the sweet flavor of red bean paste, egg yolk, and lotus seeds, or the salty flavor of fatty pork and chestnuts. Zongzi are especially popular as a festival food and are frequently eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival. Learn more about Rice Dumplings.

Glutinous rice balls don't need to be wrapped in bamboo leaves. Usually, the vendor will make them for you according to your requirements and tastes.

9. Tofu Pudding

Chinese: 豆花 , dòuhuā /doh-hwaa/ 'bean flower'

Taste: salty or sweet

Tofu pudding is a popular Chinese snack made with very soft tofu, which is made from raw beans.

Flavors of tofu pudding vary by region. In the north, people like to have salty tofu pudding with soy sauce or salt, or with meat. However, in the south, people prefer the sweet version with ginger and brown sugar syrup.

10. Dim Sum

Chinese: 点心 , diănxīn /dyen-sshin/ 'touch the heart'

Taste: salty or sweet

Morning tea is a traditional custom for breakfast. It's not a dish, but a name associated with having breakfast. This traditional custom can be found in Chinatowns all over the world. It is extremely popular in southeast Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The dishes enjoyed with morning tea are called dim sum, and are usually served in a small bowl or basket. They vary from rice to noodles, dumplings, or buns. Tea is also an important element of a traditional dim sum breakfast. Diners may choose from green, oolong, jasmine, chrysanthemum, or other types of tea.

In restaurants, customers pick from a large selection of tasty choices, which are served in steamer baskets or on small plates. The most popular dishes are steamed vermicelli rolls, shrimp dumplings, and a cup of tea.

Breakfast in Chinese Hotels

In China, most hotels (except some five-star or four-star hotels) only provide a Chinese-style (buffet) breakfast, with no Western food offered in the morning. Common breakfast options provided in most hotels are fried rice, fried noodles, ham, pork, pancakes, steamed stuffed buns, congee, boiled eggs, vegetables, and some drinks like milk, soy milk, Coca-Cola, and orange juice.

Breakfast in Chinese Hotels

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What the Chinese People Eat for Breakfast - 10 Popular Food

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Chinese breakfast dishes are interesting, varied, and tasty, which are including dim sum, congee, soya bean milk, zongzi, baozi and so on.

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- Potato Gnocchi
- Linguine
- Bucatini

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Most commonly consumed meat in the world

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Most commonly consumed meat in the world

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Pork.

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Most Consumed Meats | meat played a key role in supplying the energy intake needed to feed the evolution of our brains.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wb5Crj917I

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Mole poblano

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/ CBS San Francisco

OAKLAND - It's the busiest day of the year at Molcajete Cocina Mexicana in Oakland, as Cinco de Mayo is being celebrated.

Unsurprisingly, there are burritos, tacos and margaritas flying out of the kitchen. What owner and chef Manuel Torres really wants you to order from his extensive menu is this.

"The special for Cinco de Mayo today is mole poblano," he told KPIX 5. It's a sweet and spicy sauce with over 25 ingredients, sometimes 40, depending on who you ask.

"Chocolate, banana, tortillas and bread and different spices," and many others Manuel won't share for trade secret reasons -- giving only this hint.

"It's a little sweet, a little spicy but I make it here. The mole poblano is very good," Torres went on to say.

It is traditional to serve on Cinco de Mayo. The holiday we've come to celebrate here in the States with tacos, tequila and more than a dash of cultural appropriation is rooted in the Battle of Puebla that Mexico fought and won against Napoleon and the French.

Mole poblano has its origin story in the 17th century and is considered to be the national dish of Mexico - a point of pride.

"It's very traditional. It's good to eat on Cinco de Mayo, everyone makes it. Everyone makes it a little bit different - we make it a little bit sweeter - but it's always very good," said Maurcio Torres, son of Manuel.

If you do order it, know that someone like Manuel lost sleep over the sauce that can be poured over just about everything.

"Three or four hours. This is not a quick dish - it's a labor of love. It's too much labor," said Manuel.

Like all traditions, it gets passed from generation to generation. Mauricio, 20, is still learning from Dad. "He tried. It's a lot of things to try of prepare it, but I'm getting there. One day, hopefully soon."

More from CBS News

Andria Borba

First published on May 5, 2022 / 6:26 PM

© 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Mole poblano, Mexico's national dish a point of pride for Oakland restaurant on Cinco de Mayo

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It's the busiest day of the year at Molcajete Cocina Mexicana in Oakland, as Cinco de Mayo is being celebrated.

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- Asiago
- Fontina
- Gorgonzola

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9 Essential Cheeses for Italian Cooking, Baking, and Shamelessly Snacking

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Learn more about the different types of Italian cheeses; then stop by the cheese department and get cooking.

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For the crispy roast potatoes, increase the temperature to 200°C. Peel the potatoes (reserving the peelings) and cut them into chunks. Pour 2 litres of water into a saucepan, add 20g salt and bring it to the boil. Add the potatoes and the peelings and cook for 20 minutes until very soft. Strain carefully and cool. Pour the goose fat into a roasting tin and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. Place the potatoes, cut side down, to the hot oil in the roasting tray and carefully cover with the oil. Season the potatoes with the remaining salt and roast for 60–90 minutes, turning them a few times.
To make a delicious gravy, sweat the shallots and thyme, then add the red wine. Reduce until it’s almost all evaporated. Add the stock and reduce by half until thick. Finish with the rest of the gravy ingredients, and also add the meat juices to the pan. You'll end up with a rich gravy, packed with flavour.
Steam your seasonal vegetables for a couple of minutes until beginning to soften (don't overcook or they'll get soggy!) For the cabbage, get a griddle pan very hot and colour on all sides, but do not cook too much so that the vegetable has some crunch. Place the garlic and olive oil in a cup and microwave on full heat for 30 seconds until soft. Drizzle this over the cabbage and season with sea salt. Slice the beef, pour over the delicious gravy, season with salt and pepper and quickly flash it in the hot oven, then serve with the roast potatoes and cabbage.

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An hour before roasting, remove your beef from the fridge and bring it up to room temperature. When ready, season the topside with a pinch of salt and black pepper, and sear in vegetable oil until it's well coloured on all sides. Put on a roasting tray and place into a preheated oven at 55°C. Leave it in the oven at this temperature for 4 hours. This will give you a perfect medium rare. If you prefer medium, set the oven to 65°C. If your oven doesn't go this far down, roast at 150֯֯֯°C for 4 hours. Take the beef out and let the meat rest. There are other cuts of meat you can try, such as a beef chuck roast, a rib roast or a roast sirloin of beef - either way, go 'low and slow' for the perfect roast beef, with tender meat.

For the crispy roast potatoes, increase the temperature to 200°C. Peel the potatoes (reserving the peelings) and cut them into chunks. Pour 2 litres of water into a saucepan, add 20g salt and bring it to the boil. Add the potatoes and the peelings and cook for 20 minutes until very soft. Strain carefully and cool. Pour the goose fat into a roasting tin and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. Place the potatoes, cut side down, to the hot oil in the roasting tray and carefully cover with the oil. Season the potatoes with the remaining salt and roast for 60-90 minutes, turning them a few times.

To make a delicious gravy, sweat the shallots and thyme, then add the red wine. Reduce until it's almost all evaporated. Add the stock and reduce by half until thick. Finish with the rest of the gravy ingredients, and also add the meat juices to the pan. You'll end up with a rich gravy, packed with flavour.

Steam your seasonal vegetables for a couple of minutes until beginning to soften (don't overcook or they'll get soggy!) For the cabbage, get a griddle pan very hot and colour on all sides, but do not cook too much so that the vegetable has some crunch. Place the garlic and olive oil in a cup and microwave on full heat for 30 seconds until soft. Drizzle this over the cabbage and season with sea salt. Slice the beef, pour over the delicious gravy, season with salt and pepper and quickly flash it in the hot oven, then serve with the roast potatoes and cabbage.

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Make the ultimate roast beef dinner, with goose fat roast potatoes and juicy meat

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Kibbes fusion.

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Pad Thai.

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สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงโคเปนเฮเกน

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Pad thai ,a national dish of Thailand, is so well-liked around the world that that it has been included in the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022.

Pad thai ,a national dish of Thailand, is so well-liked around the world that that it has been included in the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022.

Pad thai is a national dish of Thailand loved so much worldwide that has made it into the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022, gaining the same international status as the words "sushi" and "pizza." Under the category Food C2 the website Oxford Learner's Dictionaries defines "pad thai" as "A dish from Thailand made with a type of noodles made from rice, spices, egg, vegetables and sometimes meat or seafood." Pad Thai is a popular type of street food among foreign visitors, and it is just as popular as Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour shrimp soup), Pad Krapow Moo (stir fried pork with basil & chili) and Som Tum (green papaya salad).

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Pad thai ,a national dish of Thailand, is so well-liked around the world that that it has been included in the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022. - สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงโคเปนเฮเกน

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Pad thai ,a national dish of Thailand, is so well-liked around the world that that it has been included in the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022.

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- Toast.
- Pancakes.
- Bacon.

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Breakfast isn't just the most important meal of the day, it's also the best meal of the day. (And if you don't agree, I'm sorry but you're wrong.) I'll eat breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for lunch, and breakfast for dinner. Basically, there is no limit to the eggs, toast, and waffles that I can-and will-consume.

I'm not alone in my love of a.m. eats, either. A survey revealed the 10 most popular breakfast foods in the U.S., from the crispiest bacon to the fluffiest pancakes. Here are the winners, plus our tips on how to make them all yourself.

10. Doughnuts

There are people who like doughnuts-and then there are people who obviously just don't have good taste. Because who can deny the fluffy, sugary, warm goodness that is a fresh-baked doughnut on a cool morning?

Pro tip: You can even make your own in the air fryer in under 10 minutes. (Or you can take the lazy route and have them delivered to your door effort-free.)
Shop doughnuts at Goldbelly
9. Home fries

Call them home fries, call them hash browns, call them breakfast potatoes... no matter the name, they're all mouthwateringly good.

The trick to the perfect diner-style potatoes-which are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside-toss your potatoes (with the skins on, of course!) in a cast-iron skillet until they're browned. (Our favorite is the Lodge 12-inch skillet.)
$40 at Amazon
8. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is like the Taylor Swift of breakfast foods: It was always good but kind of flew under-the-radar until it reinvented itself (hello, insane Instagram oatmeal bowls) and completely blew up.

While that metaphor might be a stretch, you get the point-oatmeal isn't just for your grandma anymore. Not only is it timelessly popular, it's also delicious, filling, and most importantly, healthy.

7. Fresh fruit

I love fruit as much as the next person but a single banana does not a filling breakfast make. We love packing fresh fruit (like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries) with yogurt and granola in these handy containers for healthy, more satiating breakfast.
$19 at Amazon
6. Cereal

With the exception of Corn Flakes (sorry not sorry), I don't think you can go wrong with any cereal, especially the sugary kinds that yield that deliciously sweet milk for drinking at the end.

But if you're looking for a healthier alternative to the nostalgic, saccharine varieties of our youth, Magic Spoon is a grown-up version that's high in protein and low in sugar. Shop at Magic Spoon

5. Bacon

PSA: You're probably making your bacon wrong. After we tried three popular methods (oven, stovetop, and microwave), we found that making bacon in the oven is the best.

However, our kitchen and cooking editor explains that she still sticks to the stove when she's cooking for a crowd: "My perfect bacon method is getting a huge cast iron skillet, placing the bacon in while the pan's still cold, and then cooking low and slow until crispy and browned on both sides, flipping throughout."

4. Pancakes

Sweet or savory, plain or chocolate chip, dusted with powdered sugar or swimming in syrup-no matter how you make them, pancakes will always have my heart. You can whip them up on a Saturday morning on our favorite electric griddles-the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill. If you're feeling extra creative, try your hand at these Japanese soufflé pancakes to make your morning (or evening!) extra special.
$70 at Amazon
3. Toast

Toast is-and always has been-my favorite food. In fact, one of my mom's favorite stories to tell is how I once ate 10 pieces for breakfast when I was 5 years old. And while I use a toaster (setting #4, please) our editor-in-chief, David Kender, does not. Instead, he makes his toast in the oven using the broiler.

If you value the convenience of a toaster, though, we recommend the Breville Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster.
$160 at Amazon
2. Sausage

Everyone knows that a good breakfast has the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fats. Get the second two with some sausage, which is as tasty as it is filling.

If you have a stand mixer (like the cult-favorite KitchenAid), you can even make your own sausage at home using a food grinder attachment.
$450 at Amazon $90 at Amazon
1. Eggs

There are so many ways to eat eggs, from scrambled to over easy to fried to hard-boiled. One of my favorite hacks for the best scrambled eggs is one that I stole from Gordon Ramsay: Add a dash of crème fraîche and butter for richness and top them with chopped chives for flavor.

We also love making convenient and portable egg bites in the Dash egg bite maker for healthy, protein-packed breakfasts on busy weekday morning.
$50 at Amazon
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These are the top 10 breakfast foods in America

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From bacon to eggs to pancakes to cereal, these are the 10 most popular breakfast foods in America and our top tips on how to make them yourself.

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Chickpeas.

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Hummus, that creamy dip that hails from the Middle East, has a reputation as a clean, healthy food. It deserves it.

All the main ingredients are super foods in their own right. It's got chickpeas, sesame paste (tahini), garlic, and olive oil in most traditional versions.

It's convenient to buy a plastic container of hummus at the store, but you'd be surprised at how easy it is to whip up at home. You'll save a few bucks and know exactly what's in your hummus.

Just combine 1 can of chickpeas, 1/4 cup tahini, garlic to taste (try 1-2 cloves), 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon in a food processor or blender, and whirl until smooth.

Tip: You can adjust the proportions of the ingredients to taste, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be and how thick you like your hummus. Start with less liquid than you think you might need. You can always add more as you blend it, but if you add too much, you've got a sauce, not a dip.

Chickpeas, hummus's main ingredient, give you protein, good-for-you carbs, and fiber. Like other members of the legume family, they routinely top lists of the world's healthiest foods.

Eating more plant foods is good for you. People who make that a habit are less likely to get certain diseases. Of course, lots of things affect your health -- there's no miracle food -- but a little hummus wouldn't hurt.

Garlic and olive oil are two of the best-known and most studied ingredients. They're both part of the famously good-for-you Mediterranean Diet. These zesty seasonings give hummus its great flavor.

There's plenty of nutrition-packed goodness in every scoop of hummus. There are also lots of calories: 408 per cup.

You're not going to eat a whole cup of hummus, are you? Like anything else, you need to watch your serving size. You can get too much of a good thing.

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Hummus: Ingredients, Recipe, and Benefits

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Can't get enough hummus? This tasty dip has a lot going for it, in terms of nutrition as well as taste. Find out how easy it is to make your own with a simple hummus recipe.

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1.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.     To prepare the vegetables: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Once it shines, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion and salt. Cook, stirring every two minutes, until vegetables are golden brown at the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.

3.     Add spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until spinach has wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

4.     Blend tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes.

5.     Blend cottage cheese.

6.     Blend cooked vegetables with spinach (but not pureed!).

7.      Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt (to taste) and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

8.     Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of the baking bowl. Place 3 lasagna noodles on top. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle 1/2 cup grated cheese on top. Repeat this step until the container is full.

9.     Bake for 30 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and let lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle extra basil over top, then cut and serve.

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I set out to create the best vegetable lasagna recipe. Here it is! This vegetarian lasagna is cheesy (of course), and loaded with vegetables, spinach and a simple tomato sauce.

If you have any meatless-meal skeptics in your life, this lasagna will change their mind. I'm sure of it.

This lasagna is based on my spinach artichoke lasagna on the blog and the roasted eggplant lasagna in my cookbook. I love those less-conventional vegetarian lasagnas.

Yet, I wanted to offer a classic vegetable lasagna suitable for holidays and weeknights, and this is it. The tomato sauce is the same across all three recipes, but the vegetables vary.

For this recipe, you'll chop bell pepper, zucchini and carrot into very small pieces and sauté them until they're nice and golden on the edges. That caramelization brings out so much more flavor. Then, add spinach to the skillet and cooked it down for a few minutes so it doesn't get too soggy.

The Best Vegetable Lasagna

1. You can easily adjust the vegetables to suit the seasons or your pantry (see recipe notes).

2. The sauce is made from scratch with basic ingredients. It only takes a few minutes to make.

3. Use no-boil noodles and you don't have to bother cooking them. Just layer them up!

4. I recommend cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which has more protein and flavor (trust me).

5. You can even make this recipe gluten free and/or vegan. See the recipe notes for details.

The end result is a super flavorful, nutrient-dense, veggie-packed lasagna. This lasagna might not be the quickest weeknight option around, but it is a reasonably simple recipe that will absolutely satisfy your comfort food cravings.
Five reasons to love this recipe:
Enjoy, and please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback is so important to me.

Craving more vegetable-packed casseroles? Here are more of my favorites:

Watch How to Make Vegetable Lasagna

Print

Best Vegetable Lasagna

Author: Cookie and Kate

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour (plus 15 minutes cooling time)

Yield: 8 servings 1x

Category: Entree

Method: Baked

Cuisine: Italian

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

4.8 from 1190 reviews

Seriously the best veggie lasagna! This lasagna recipe is packed with bell pepper, zucchini and carrots, sautéed until golden and tender on the edges. Recipe yields one 9-inch lasagna, enough for 8 slices.

Scale 1x 2x 3x

Ingredients
Veggies and spinach

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

5 to 6 ounces baby spinach

Tomato sauce (or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce)

1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil + additional for garnish

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Remaining ingredients

2 cups (16 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese, divided

¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

9 no-boil lasagna noodles*

8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. To prepare the veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.

3. Add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.

5. Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (you should have a little over 2 cups sauce). Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine.

6. Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you'll need it later.

7. Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped (but not puréed!), about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Now it's lasagna assembly time!

8. Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9" by 9" baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.

9. Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we're skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.

10. Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce leftover) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.

11. Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don't let it come into contact with the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 10 to 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown.

12. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve.

Notes

*Lasagna noodle recommendations: I like to use DeLallo's Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (affiliate link) and Whole Foods' 365 No-Boil Lasagna Noodles. See below for gluten-free suggestions.

Change it up: Feel free to play around with the vegetables here. You'll want to use about 3 cups chopped veggies total (excluding the onion). Mushrooms or butternut squash might be nice!

Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free lasagna noodles. Choose no-boil (oven ready) noodles if possible; if not, cook them according to package directions. (Fair warning, I tried using DeBoles brand of no-bake lasagna noodles and they weren't done cooking in the time specified here. Reheated leftovers were ok, though.)

Make it dairy free/vegan: Double the recipe for my vegan sour cream (also available in my cookbook, page 217) and use 2 cups instead of the cottage cheese. Skip the step where you would blend the cottage cheese and just barely blend the spinach/veggies into the sour cream. Omit the mozzarella and use all of the tomato sauce for the final layer. Serve the lasagna with a dollop of additional sour cream on top or, better yet, my basil pesto.

▸ Nutrition Information

&rtrif; Categories &rtrif; Ingredients Christmas, basil, bell peppers, carrots, casseroles, mozzarella, pasta, spinach, zucchini egg free, fall, favorites, Italian, main dishes, nut free, pack for lunch, recipes, soy free, spring, summer, winter

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Seriously the best veggie lasagna! This meatless lasagna recipe is packed with bell pepper, zucchini and carrots, sautéed until golden on the edges.