Black Bean Lasagna

I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be having lasagna until Charlotte stopped nursing. It was sad, but it was better than a screaming baby. I can alter a lot of recipes and omit the cheese, but removing the cheese from lasagna doesn't leave you with much. As I was preparing my menus for the week, I asked Sean if he had any requests. Black bean lasagna.

I hate saying no to a dinner suggestion because that means I have to think of something else myself. I figured I would give it a shot. It actually turned out to be really good! My old recipe was:

INGREDIENTS
* 9 lasagna noodles
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (16 ounce) can refried black beans
* 1 cup canned tomato sauce
* 1 1/2 cups salsa
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
* 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
* 1 cup ricotta cheese
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
* 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
* 8 sprigs fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Coat a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray, and place over medium heat. Saute onion, red bell pepper, corn and garlic until tender. Stir in black beans, refried beans, tomato sauce, salsa and 1/4 cup cilantro. Cook until heated through and slightly thickened; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta, sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and remaining 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; set aside.
4. Coat a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange 3 of the cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish, cutting to fit if necessary. Spread with 1/3 of the bean mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice more.
5. Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Garnish with sliced black olives and sprigs of cilantro.

I omitted the cheese and added some extra refried black beans and salsa. It was actually really tasty! I think when I can eat dairy again I will cut out some of the cheese to make it slightly lower in calories.