Vegetable Lasagna

This is the first in a series of non-meat dishes to help my friends get through Lent. This dish will even make meat lovers think they have gone to Italian heaven.

Lasagna is a very traditional Italian dish and I've probably made over a hundred in my lifetime. However I've never had much success at vegetable lasagna. It’s usually watery and lacking in the right balance of flavors. Well I've finally gotten it right thanks to the microwave. Yes the microwave. The problem has always been that eggplant contains too much water which is released during cooking. By precooking the eggplant in the microwave you eliminate the excess water and shorten the cooking time. This resulted in lasagna that stood firm, melted in your mouth and had the perfect balance of savory vegetables, three cheeses, creamy béchamel and spicy tomato sauce layered between tender noodles.

Makes 8 Servings

Vegetable Filling

1 ½ lb Eggplant (peeled & cut into ½” cubes, ~ 7 cups)

 Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper

1 lb Zucchini (cut into ½” pieces ~ 4 cups)

1 lb Yellow Squash (cut into ½” pieces ~ 4 cups)

Cooking Spray

5 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 TBS Fresh Thyme (minced)

12 oz. Washed Baby Spinach (about 12 cups)

Three-Cheese Filling

1 lb Whole Milk Ricotta

8 oz. shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (~ 2 cups)

½ C Parmesan or Romano Cheese (grated)

2 tsp Dried Parsley

2 lg Eggs

Béchamel Sauce

Sauteed Vegetables

2 TBS Unsalted Butter

2 TBS All Purpose Flour

1 ½ C Whole Milk

¼ tsp Table Salt

1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

½ C Parmesan or Romano Cheese (grated)

Other

12 No-Boil Lasagna Noodles (1-2 boxes)

24 oz Marinara sauce (~3 cups)

4 oz. shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (~ 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375°F

Peel and cube the eggplant. In a large bowl, toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover a large plate with coffee filters and spray lightly with cooking spray. Spread the eggplant evenly over the filters and microwave on high for about 10 minutes or until dry to the touch. Return the eggplant to the bowl along with the diced zucchini and yellow squash to toss.

Italian word of the day: melanzana = eggplant

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add half the vegetable mixture, ¼ teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground pepper, 1 tablespoon minced thyme and sauté until the vegetables are lightly browned. Clear a small space in the pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 4 minced garlic cloves. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then mix with the vegetables. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the frying pan until shimmering. Add the remaining half of the vegetable mixture, ¼ teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground pepper and sauté until the vegetables are lightly browned. Transfer to the bowl.

Return the skillet to medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the spinach and cook for about 3 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Place on a paper towel coated plate to drain then add to the eggplant mixture.

In a medium bowl mix the three-cheese filling until thoroughly incorporated.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter for the béchamel sauce. Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir constantly until it turns a pale tan color, about 6-7 minutes. Add the milk, salt and nutmeg. Whisk until smooth and continue cooking until thickened (it will coat the back of a spoon). Add the Parmesan and continue to whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat.

Layering of Vegetables, Bechamel Sauce, and Three-Cheese Mixture

Spray a 13” x 9” baking pan with vegetable spray. Spread 1 cup of marinara over the bottom of the pan and cover, overlapping, with four no-boil lasagna noodles. Spread ½ of the vegetable mixture over the noodles followed by ½ of the béchamel sauce. Add ½ of the three cheese mixture followed by ½ C of marinara sauce. Repeat the layering with 4 noodles, remaining vegetable mixture, béchamel sauce, and cheese mixture plus ½ cup of marinara. Cover with 4 more no-boil lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with 1 cup of marinara and cover pan with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes covered with the aluminum foil. Remove the foil and cover with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Return to the oven and cook an additional 15 minutes. Place on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then cut and serve. Add a salad and garlic bread and you have a complete meal.

Pronto Substitute

Cheese – you can substitute low fat cheese but the lasagna will tend to be more liquid.

Marinara – Substitute any kind of tomato sauce you like.

Make Ahead Lasagna

There are times that you just don’t have the time to cook but you want something good to serve your family or guests. Lasagna can be prepared up to two days in advance, refrigerated, then baked in the oven. You will need to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes if it comes straight from the refrigerator. You can also freeze a prepared, uncooked lasagna for up to 2 months. Just thaw in the refrigerator for two days before cooking.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Vegetable Lasagna.