Veggie Lasagna

This recipe for veggie lasagna is surprisingly easy and adaptable to your vegetable preferences. It's very light and fresh tasting and could be the easiest homemade lasagna ever. Just layer no boil lasagna noodles, a simple sauce, cheese, and some precooked vegetables and bake. I've made three different versions of this already and they were all well received.

Vegetable Lasagna

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and black pepper
15 (7 by 3 1/2 inch) no boil lasagna noodles
3 cups cooked vegetables (see below)
16oz grated mozzarella, Gruyere, or Fontana cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan

Suggested Vegetables:
(Mix and match 3 cups total)
box or bag of frozen chopped spinach
box or bag of frozen chopped cauliflower/broccoli
bag baby carrots chopped
Fresh chopped Eggplant, Zucchini, Asparagus, Onions, or Fennel

Blanch, saute, or roast chosen vegetables and set aside. For sauce: heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned (about 2 minutes). Stir in the tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly  (about 5 minutes). Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper to taste.  Spread 1/2 cup sauce over the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch lasagna pan. Lay 3 noodles crosswise over the sauce making sure they do not touch the sides of the pan. spread 3/4 cup prepared vegetables over the noodles, 1/2 cup sauce over the vegetables, and 3/4 cup mozzarella with 2 Tbsp Parmesan over the sauce. Repeat the layers of noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses three more times. For the fifth and final layer, layer noodles with remaining 1 cup of sauce, one cup of mozzarella, and 2 Tbsp of Parmesan.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake on middle rack of the oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Comments

[Josh]

This sounds perfect. I'm all over it

[Chad]

I'm going to make this next week. I can't wait to starte expereimenting with vegetable combinations and I love a no boil lasagna noodle.

[gudpal]

I'm just curious: why is it necessary to pre-cook the vegetables? Wouldn't they cook sufficiently in the 40 minutes at 375 degrees? Has anyone tried making this wonderful-sounding dish starting with the veggies raw?

[rjmarch]

Raw vegetables really wouldn't cook thoroughly enough, but I suppose they might impart a definitive texture. I think this recipe and its directions are spot-on.