Vegetable Lasagna
A great looking recipe which I will make as soon as I gather all the ingredients together.
A great looking recipe which I will make as soon as I gather all the ingredients together.
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup parmesan grated
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 10 oz lasagna noodles
- 2 tbl olive oil
- 1 medium onion whole
- 1 each red pepper diced
- 24 oz mushrooms, white chopped
- 4 whole squash (yellow or zucchini diced
- 1 28oz can whole tomatoes crumbled by hand
- 1/4 cup parsley, fresh chopped, more to taste
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt more to taste
- to taste black pepper fresh ground
- 30 oz ricotta cheese by wt
- 2 each eggs whole
- to taste black pepper fresh ground
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese thin sliced
- as needed parmesan cheese for sprinkling
- Carbohydrate 38.3922281988196 g
- Cholesterol 364.437650045146 mg
- Fat 27.1220546123236 g
- Fiber 2.1228451750811 g
- Protein 43.6116824331182 g
- Saturated Fat 14.1490548651892 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (497g)
- Sodium 940.948704580044 mg
- Sugar 36.2693830237385 g
- Trans Fat 2.42202665455521 g
- Calories 577 calories
Step-by-step
- 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.
- Combine ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- 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.
- End with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
- 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.
Canned whole tomatoes carry this entire bake, providing both the liquid foundation for the extended simmer and the concentrated acidity needed to cut through heavy dairy fats. Crushing them by hand rather than puréeing ensures irregular pieces that trap pockets of steam, preventing the sauce from becoming dense or pasty as it reduces with the mushrooms and squash. Deglazing the skillet with white wine lifts the caramelized browned bits from the garlic and onions, building depth before the tomatoes ever hit the pan.
Managing moisture remains critical when working with zucchini and white mushrooms, both of which release significant water during the initial twenty-minute simmer. Simmering the vegetable mixture uncovered allows excess liquid to evaporate so the final casserole holds its structural integrity rather than sliding apart on the plate. Thinly sliced mozzarella melts evenly across the ricotta layer without pooling excessively, provided the sauce has been sufficiently reduced beforehand.
Determining doneness relies entirely on visual cues rather than internal temperature probes. Baking the assembly covered with foil for twenty minutes traps steam to heat the interior evenly, followed by an uncovered five to ten minute phase that encourages the parmesan on top to turn golden brown and the edges to bubble vigorously. Pulling the pan from the oven too early leaves the layers unstable, while overbaking breaks down the structure of the pasta.
Resting the lasagna for ten minutes prior to slicing is non-negotiable for achieving clean squares. Proteins in the melted cheeses and eggs firm up slightly as the internal temperature drops away from its peak, allowing the slices to hold their form under a spatula. Cutting into the pasta immediately upon removal from the oven releases trapped steam prematurely and causes the internal layers to collapse.
