Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna

First of all, lemme just say that I was hesitant about this meal. I grew up on my momma's very delicious, very meaty and cheesy lasagna, and I've never liked lasagna any other way. 

I can't fully attribute the taste of this Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna to winning me over, because it took my second helping to convince me to savor it. (But only my 2nd!)

What reeeeaaallly did me in was the fact that my stomach does not have ANY problems with this baby! I ate it for dinner, and had it twice as leftovers, and every time it went down as if Mary Poppins herself were feeding it to me. 

The flavor really grew on me, too. Because of the unpredictable distribution of the variety of vegetables, each bite is a slightly different flavor and texture experience. Which obviously = awesome. 

So, without further ado: Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna, from Rip Esselsten's book "The Engine 2 Diet."

1 onion, chopped
1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 package silken lite tofu
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary
2 jars pasta sauce (no sugar added)
2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles, uncooked
16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
6 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat oven to 400. Sauté onion and garlic for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add mushrooms; cook until they release liquid. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and reserve mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté broccoli and carrots 5 minutes in mushroom liquid; add to bowl. Sauté peppers and corn until just beginning to soften; add to veggie bowl. Drain tofu by wrapping it in paper towels. Break it up directly in towel and mix into veggie bowl. Add spices to veggie bowl and combine.

Assemble:
Cover bottom of 13x9 casserole dish with a layer of pasta sauce. Add a layer of noodles, then cover noodles with a layer of sauce. Spread veggie mixture over sauced noodles. Cover with another layer of noodles, and another dressing of sauce. Add spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover spinach with mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, then the final layer of noodles and the last topping of sauce. Cover lasagna with thinly sliced tomatoes. 

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove tin foil, sprinkle with ground cashews, return to oven for 15 minutes. Let set 15 minutes before serving.