Olive Garden serves a great lasagna.  It's always fun to take the family for a dinner that everyone will enjoy.  I've been looking for a recipe for Olive Garden's Lasagna so that I can make it at home.  I finally found a copycat recipe that allows me to make that wonderful Olive Garden Lasagna at home.  It requires a bit of work, but it is most certainly worth it!  This recipe serves 8, so  make it for when you have company coming or make it for the family (and eat the left over for an indulgent lunch the next day). 

Ingredients

• Lasagna strips

ALFREDO SAUCE

• 1/2 pound sweet or salted butter
• 12 ounces heavy cream
• freshly-ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups fresh Parmesan — grate
• 18 slices mozzarella cheese — 1/2oz ea

RICOTTA MIXTURE

• 1 pint ricotta cheese
• 2 ounces Romano — grate
• 3 ounces mozzarella — shred
• 2 tablespoons green onions — slice
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley — chop
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/4 cups Alfredo Sauce — cooled

VEGETABLE MIXTURE

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups coarsely-chopped carrots
• 4 cups mushrooms in 1/4" slices
• 2 cups diced red bell peppers
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 cups sliced zucchini

Directions

• Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9- by 13-inch pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer.
• Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions until barely "al dente" and drain.

Alfredo Sauce

• Heat water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler.
• Add butter, cream and pepper to the top pot and heat until butter is completely melted, then stir in Parmesan until melted and blended.
• Remove top pot and set aside to cool. Divide the sauce into 2 equal portions.
• Refrigerate 1 portion for use later.

Ricotta Cheese Mixture

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula.
• Set aside at room temperature.

Vegetables

• Combine all vegetables and mix well.

Directions

• Coat the bottom and sides of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with vegetable spray.
• Lay out cooked lasagna strips (about 4) to cover entire bottom.
• Spread 1 1/4 cup of the Ricotta mix evenly over the strips.
• Top with 8 cups of vegetable mix and spread out evenly.
• Lay out 9 of the mozzarella slices to cover the vegetable layer.
• Repeat this layering.
• Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mix to finish.

Cooking

• Spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed-side down.
• Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about an hour or until the internal temp is 165 degrees.
• Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes, covered, before cutting and serving.
• Immediately prior to serving, heat the reserved portion of Alfredo Sauce and ladle the hot sauce over each slice of lasagna as it is served.

This recipe yields 8 servings.