Veggie Lasagna

The word lasagna means ‘pasta in the form of sheets or wide strips, layered with sauce, meat and cheese’

What about veggies??

We have some vegetarian friends out there who would appreciate a Veggie Lasagna and some carnivorous friends who may like a break from meat!

Let’s get to it!

There are 4 main steps to this process and to make it easier, I’m going to break it down

We’re going to make layers of roasted tomato, caramelized zucchini, mushroom-breadcrumb, seasoned ricotta cheese & mozzarella

Here’s the link to make homemade Oven Roasted Tomatoes.  This step takes about an hour and a half so it’s probably best to do ahead of time

Assemble 2 pounds of the oven roasted tomatoes, one large bunch of fresh basil and 3 large garlic cloves, minced

Now for the zucchini layer

Thinly slice 4 large zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds) with a mandolin or sharp knife

Heat a large pan to medium-high and add in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Once heated, add in the zucchini, a healthy pinch of kosher salt and black pepper

Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and set aside for assembly

OK let’s get cheesy

Combine 16 ounces of ricotta cheese, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/3 cup chopped, fresh parsley, kosher salt & black pepper; set aside for assembly

This is probably our favorite layer.  Mushrooms and breadcrumbs.  It’s like a stuffed mushroom

Yum!

Peel and thinly slice 4 shallots and clean and slice 8 ounces of white mushrooms

Place shallots in large pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Saute until shallots are softened then add in the sliced mushrooms.  Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked down

Once the vegetables are cooked, add in 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs & 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Stir until combined well – if the mixture seems dry, add in a drizzle of olive oil

Set aside for assembly

Last step before assembly is to cube one 16 ounce block of mozzarella cheese

I like to use the block mozzarella for this rather than the fresh because it’s firmer with less water content  No one likes liquidy lasagna!

Cook a box of lasagna noodles a few minutes less than the package directions and place in an ice bath

I like to use a clean kitchen towel to dry the noodles as I layer

Assembly time!

Lay one lasagna noodle at a time on the clean kitchen towel and fold over to remove excess moisture

 Coat a lasagna pan or large casserole with cooking spray or oil and layer in the noodles

Spread a layer of the caramelized zucchini over the noodles and dot with mozzarella cubes

Top with another layer of noodles and press down

Dollop (yes, I said dollop) with half of the ricotta cheese mixture and spread out

Add another layer of noodles, press down and add the oven roasted tomatoes, sprinkle with the fresh garlic, chiffonade of basil & dot with mozzarella cubes

Show me how to chiffonade basil

You guessed it, add another layer of pasta noodles, press down and cover with the mushroom-breadcrumb layer & mozzarella cubes

Top with the last layer of lasagna noodles, the remaining ricotta & mozzarella cheeses and the reserved sliced oven roasted tomatoes

Now we’re ready for some baking!

Bake covered with foil at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Uncover, bake 10 more minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly

Let your masterpiece sit for at least 10 minute before cutting

Enjoy!

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