Vegetable Lasagne
Vegetable Lasagne
This delicious recipe is definitely worthy of sharing. The stand-out feature that makes it different from other lasagne recipes is the lemon ricotta to replace béchamel and a tasty tomato sauce full of capers and olives.
Ingredients
- Lasagne sheets, fresh or instant
- 200g mozzarella cheese, or parmesan
SPICY TOMATO SAUCE (Arrabiata)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium size onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 fresh chilli, medium, finely diced
- 1 cup pitted olives
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 4 cups ripe tomatoes, diced (or equivalent)
- Handful of fresh basil
- Salt & pepper to season
GRILLED VEGETABLES
Use what you have at home, such as:
- 2 zucchini
- 1 eggplant
- 1 red capsicum
- Small wedge pumpkin
- Handful of mushrooms
- Greens eg. kale, spinach, silverbeet
LEMON RICOTTA
- 500g fresh ricotta
- Rind and juice of 1 lemon
- Small handful of basil, sliced
- Salt and pepper to season
Method
Step 1.) Make the sauce. This (along with cooking some veggies) can be made ahead of time, possibly even in large quantities for several different meals. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, and chilli and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add olives, capers & fresh tomatoes, and cook a couple minutes more before adding the rest of the ingredients. If you’re out of fresh tomatoes, replace them with a couple of tins or small bottles of crushed tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, lower the heat and let simmer for a half-hour or more with a lid on.
Step 2.) Grill or bake whichever veggies you have to use – zucchini, eggplant, capsicum, mushrooms, kale, pumpkin etc. Slice evenly and coat them with a little olive oil and salt, lightly roasting them under the grill or in a griddle pan or on a tray in the oven. As a guide, try 1-2 zucchini, 1 eggplant, 1 capsicum and a half bunch of silverbeet or spinach (this doesn’t need roasting) for a medium-sized lasagne.
Step 3.) Mix ricotta ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 4.) Preheat the oven to 175°C. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then add a layer of lasagna, a layer of lemon-ricotta, then grilled vegetables, and fresh greens, then cover with a layer of that delicious tomato sauce. Repeat 2-3 times. Top the last layer with the rest of the vegetables, the tomato sauce, the lemon-ricotta and the grated mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until crispy golden on top.
Recipe retrieved from: https://www.ceresfairfood.org.au/recipes/