Like many of my meal decisions, I made this recipe up based on what we had in the house. Often I go through the cupboards, fridge, and freezer to decide what to make. It usually turns out great, but sometimes it turns out simply amazing. . . this was one of those cases.
Why does grilling vegetables take them from ordinary to phenomenal? I will admit that it adds more time to the recipe, but it is well worth the time. It adds so much flavor to the lasagna. This is one of those vegetarian meals, where you don't miss the meat at all.
If you have a summer garden, most of ingredients (if not all) can come directly from it. Of course the vegetables I list for ingredients can easily be substituted for different ones depending on what's available.
Grilled Vegetable Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients for Lasagna:
For the Grilled Veggies:
- 2 Tomatoes, grilled then chopped
- 2 Red bell peppers-quarter, then grill and slice
- 1 large onion, sliced, then grilled
- 2 large zucchini, sliced longways into 4 strips, grilled, then sliced into thin strips
Other Veggies/Herbs:
- 8 oz. frozen artichoke hearts
- 1/4 c basil, chiffonade
- 6 c chopped greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard or a combination)- steamed or sauteed until slightly wilted
For the Sauce:
- 5 T unsalted butter
- 4T flour
- 4 c milk
- 1 head garlic, roasted- - reserve 4 cloves for garlic bread (recipe here), if desired
Lasagna Noodles- Cooked according to package instructions.
The all important cheese:
- 6.5 oz soft herbed cheese ( I used Boursin herb and garlic, but herbed goat cheese would also be good)
- 1 c shredded mozzarella, divided
Preparation of the Lasagna:
 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
3. Chop and wilt greens
4. Chiffonade basil:
If you have never done this before, its rather simple. Take several basil leaves and stack them on top of one anther. Roll basil tightly along the long side of the leaves. Slice into thin ribbons.
5. Make sauce for lasagna:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and allow to cook for about a minute. Add milk in a steady stream gradually while whisking continuously. At first it will form a paste and then gradually become "liquidy" again.
Once garlic is done roasting, blend roasted garlic (minus 4 cloves if you are making garlic bread) and sauce in a blender. Allow sauce to cool a bit before blending. If it is too hot and you try blending the steam will build up under the lid in the blender causing it to pop the lid and splash hot sauce all over the place and yourself.
Assembling & Baking the Lasagna:
1. In a large baking dish ( preferably 9 x 13) spread a thin layer of sauce along the bottom.I had to use a 10 x 15" glass baking dish, because years ago my cat broke my 9 x 13. He had crawled into my kitchen cupboard and when I yelled at him he scrambled out of the cupboard knocking out my dish resulting in a spectacular glass explosion and one shell-shocked cat. There have been too many things that I have needed instead of investing money in replacing the broken dish.
But I digress. . .
3. Repeat with another layer of noodles and the remaining greens, veggies, basil, herbed cheese, and sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 c mozzarella cheese.
4. Top with one more layer of noodles and 1/2 c mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake lasagna at 375 F for 30- 45 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment