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Amazing Vegetable Lasagna

6/16/2015

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Any lasagna is a lot of work, but especially a vegetable one, because you need to prepare each vegetable layer individually. This dish takes 2-2.5 hours to prepare, but believe me, even if you're a die-hard carnivore, it is delicious, extremely satisfying and totally worth it. You can switch up the vegetables depending on your personal taste, but these compliment each other really nicely I think, and make of a complete, healthy meal all-in-one.

Ingredients:
1 lb of lasagna pasta sheets
4-6 cups of pre-made tomato sauce
2 medium zucchinis
1 large eggplant
2 cups of cremini mushrooms
3 sprigs each of fresh sage and thyme
2 garlic cloves
1.5 cups chopped fresh kale
1. 5 cups fresh mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese
Olive oil

To prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and boil a large pot of salted water to cook your lasagna noodles in.
2. Slice eggplant lengthwise into sheets about 1/4 inch thick or less. Lay them flat on a baking tray, over parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. As soon as oven is hot, bake eggplant slices for 18-20 minutes per side, or until golden brown, flipping once, and drizzling oil on other side.
3. While eggplant and pasta cook, slice up the zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and saute these in a pan with 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
4. Slice mushrooms, mince the garlic cloves, fresh thyme and sage, and saute these 4 ingredients together next, in a pan with 2- 3 TBS of olive oil, for about 7-8 minutes over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper at end, and remove from heat.
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta VERY AL DENTE (this is important, so it does not get mushy later, in the oven) and heat up pre-made tomato sauce. Season if needed.
6. In a buttered baking dish, start layering your lasagna by spreading one thin layer of sauce on the bottom, then adding a layer of pasta, overlapping slightly to help it hold together through the cooking and serving process.
7. After the pasta, add your first layer of vegetables: zucchini. Top with another layer of sauce, and then a layer of shredded mozzarella and parmigiano cheeses. (See pictures in slideshow)
8. Add a second layer of pasta, and then a layer of mushrooms and chopped kale (more pictures above). Cover this with more sauce and cheese.
9. Add your third layer of pasta, and top this with roasted eggplant slices, tomato sauce, and cheese again.
10. If you wish, and if there is room in your dish and sauce and pasta left over, you can add a final layer of pasta, sauce and cheese, but we do not. The lasagna is large enough, and fully satisfying, without this.
11. Bake the lasagna at 375 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes, until all the cheese has melted, and the sauce has been simmering a while, cooking the kale and the pasta all together.

Serve immediately with a glass of red wine and enjoy. No side salad needed.
Cheers!



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    About the Author

    I'm Lorraine Allen, and when our daughter was diagnosed with multiple severe food allergies in infancy, a decade ago, I decided to freelance from home so that I could also care and cook for her. Because I grew up all around the world, it's important to me that she be able to enjoy all sorts of international food.  I've learned, throughout this process, that even a large number of severe allergies and restrictions does not stop a person from eating well. On the contrary, by forcing us to focus so much attention on what we consume, we've gained a whole new appreciation for good food, and ironically, we all enjoy a healthier diet than before this diagnosis. This site is where we share some of our delicious egg-free, nut-free, shellfish-free (and often vegan and gluten-free) experiments and successes in the kitchen. Guten Appetit and thanks for reading!

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