food international: Vegetable Lasagna

I woke up yesterday knowing I was going to make vegetable lasagna of some kind. It was meant to be, it was in the cards, it was predestined…it was fate. And I can’t explain my hankering at all. I simply woke up, got out of bed, and followed the light.

I made vegetable lasagna in high school once. I can’t remember the exact measurements, but instead of something like four tablespoons of parsley, I did something like four cups of parsley. So really, it was Parsley Lasagna, and it was a long time before I could eat parsley after that. It was also a long time before anyone could eat my cooking after that. It was also a long time before I could wear sandals after that, as I was deep in the throes of Ballet Toes during that period of my life, and my feet weren’t suitable for public viewing.

Not that my toes had anything whatsoever to do with my vegetable lasagna mishap, but it’s 6:00 in the morning as I type this and sometimes synapses fire that shouldn’t.

Yesterday I tweeted that I couldn’t decide between a tomato sauce and a Béchamel/white sauce for my vegetable lasagna, as both are common and delicious in an entirely different way. The responses were split down the middle, which gave me confidence that no matter what direction I headed, I couldn’t go wrong. But then a few folks threw a wrench in my thinking and said, “Use both.” Yum.

In the end, I was in the mood for tang and stuck with just tomato. But next time, I think I’ll do the Béchamel on one layer/tomato on another layer approach.

See? I hardly finish one meal when I’m thinking about the next one. It’s a little problem I have.

Here’s what I made yesterday:

 

Start with a chopped onion.

 

Then peel a few cloves of garlic…

 

And mince them up nice and fine.

 

Then you’ll need diced red bell pepper: just cut it into matchsticks, then dice away.

Mushrooms. Lots and lots of mushrooms. We’re going to chop them up and they’re going to shrink, so we need plenty.

 

Slice them up, then chop them up…

 

And keep going till they’re all chopped.

I love chopping mushrooms. I think when I do it.

Kind of like when I mow the yard. I have the best ideas on the lawn mower.

Next, grab some squash of some kind: I used yellow, but zucchini is good if you have it on hand.

 

Cut the squash in half, then cut each half into fourths lengthwise.

 

Cut the squash in the other direction to dice.

 

You can switch up the vegetables however you’d like: use zucchini, different kinds of mushrooms, carrots…whatever makes you happy in life.

 

Pour some olive oil into a (very large) skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Throw in the onions and garlic. Stir and cook for a minute or so…

 

Then throw in the diced red bell pepper and cook for another minute.

 

Toss in the diced squash and cook it for a minute.

Are you tired of me saying “minute” yet?

Just curious.

Next, throw in the mushrooms and stir to combine. Let these cook for a couple of minutes, until they really start to shrink and cook.

 

Then crack open a large can of whole tomatoes…

 

And throw them right on top.

 

With very clean hands, grab the tomatoes and crush them one by one.

(Yes, my wedding band is missing a stone. It happened a long time ago, when I was welding pipe in our back yard.)

(I wasn’t really welding pipe.)

Then stir them into the sauce and let it all start to cook.

Pour in a little wine. It’s the right thing to do.

And, finally, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. A little spice is nice.

Chop up some fresh parsley…

And add it into the sauce. This is more than four tablespoons, but a lot less than four cups.

And add some basil if you have it available.

I love you, basil. Why have you stayed away for so long?

 

Stir it and let the sauce cook a little while longer. You want some of the liquid to cook off so the lasagna won’t be overly soupy.

Also–important–taste the sauce, checking the seasonings and adding more salt if necessary.

While the sauce is simmering, grab some ricotta.

Throw in a couple of eggs…

Salt and pepper…

And Parmesan. Stir this all together and set it aside for a minute.

Also, if it wasn’t already obvious, boil some lasagna noodles and have them ready.

 

To assemble, spoon a little of the vegetable sauce into the bottom of a large baking pan.

Lay four lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan. As you can see, this is a mega baking dish that leaves a very sad, depressing gap on one end.

Not that I let that thwart me.

Next, violently plop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture onto the noodles.

Spread it to evenly distribute it…

Then lay mozzarella slices all over the top.

Finally, spoon a little less than a third of the vegetables over the mozzarella.

 

Then we’ll repeat the whole thing! Noodles, ricotta…

Mozzarella…

Vegetables. Then repeat it a third and final time.

End with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan, then cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil toward the end and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Remove from the oven and allow the pan to sit for ten minutes before serving.

Serve it up, and have a loaf of crusty French bread nearby. This is a really rich, cheesy delight, and as you can see, you can sub whatever veggies you’d like. I think yellow bell peppers would be delicious, and I’d definitely like to see some zucchini in there with the yellow squash. Eggplant would certainly be yummy, too, as would different varieties of mushrooms. Have fun with it. Make it your own.

Enjoy!

Recipe

Vegetable Lasagna

Prep Time:

20 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Cook Time:

45 Minutes

Servings:

12 Servings

Ingredients

• 10 ounces, weight Lasagna Noodles
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
• 24 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped
• 4 whole Squash (yellow Or Zucchini), Diced
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped (more To Taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 30 ounces, weight Ricotta Cheese
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 pound Thinly Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.

Pour in tomatoes. Use hands to squeeze/crush them. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped parsley.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer four cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella slices. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Serve with crusty French bread.