One of my favorite meals ever is lasagna, although it pains me to admit that the elaborate prep work often turns me off from adding it to our weekly menu lineup very often.
This isn’t my favorite meatless lasagna, but it’s the one that’s the most jam-packed full of vegetables, namely summer vegetables, and it probably a nutritional powerhouse (with a little bit of cheese and carbs, that is).
The recipe comes from the January 2001 issue of Cooking Light. I made it first in May of that year, the night we brought our kitten, Ajala, home from the vet, who was drugged after surgery and laid under our feet during the entire meal.
Ahh, memories.
The chopping up of all the veggies is the time-consuming part. But throw on some Food Network on the kitchen TV and open up the windows for a late-afternoon breeze, and suddenly you’re realizing that it’s actually quite enjoyable.
Mix up some ricotta with some parsley and you’re set to go. No eggs in this recipe! I like using an icing spatula to make spreading the filling on a little bit less aggravating.
I baked one dish for our family and another dish for a family who we were taking dinner to last night, so I cooked an entire box of lasagna noodles and cut them in half. (Tip to avoid a “watery” baked outcome: Cook the noodles for 1/2 the time on the box; take them out when they’re still somewhat firm so the tomato sauce will absorb into them while baking. Cheaper method than using the pricier no-cook noodles.)
The sauce simmered, then the layering began. In less than an hour they were ready.
The result? Amazing. Fresh. Filling. The vegetables, especially the carrots, still held a bit of a crunch. Can’t get much more summery than this.
Add this to your summer cooking repertoire. Double it and make two; freeze one for later!
Cooking Light’s Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
* 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
* 1/2 cup sliced carrot
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
* 1 (26-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato basil pasta sauce
* 2 tablespoons commerical pesto OR fresh, chopped parsley
* 1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
* Cooking spray
* 6 hot cooked lasagna noodles (about 6 ounces uncooked), cut in half
* 3/4 cup (3 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 375º.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and the next 4 ingredients (mushrooms through onion); cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pasta sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Combine pesto and ricotta in a small bowl. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in the bottom of a 8-inch square baking dish or pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodle halves over tomato mixture. Top noodles with half of ricotta mixture and 1 cup tomato mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles; sprinkle with mozzarella.
Cover and bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
Note: To make ahead, assemble as directed; stop before baking. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature; bake as directed.
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