Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

I made a yucky dinner tonight so no need to post about that, so I will blog about a dish I have made 3 times since 1st finding the recipe....3 times since early Nov. 09 means its a keeper for sure!!!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

serves 8 generously

2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise

2 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise

1 medium eggplant, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds

2 red peppers, sliced

3 portebello mushrooms, sliced***I omitted because I dont like the fungus***

olive oil

salt

pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 stalks of fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

1 teaspoon sugar

1 (16 ounce) carton of ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 (1/2 pound) package oven ready lasagna noodles (I like Ronzoni brand)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. Place the vegetables on the baking sheets in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

To make the sauce, saute onions in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until transparent. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, and sugar and simmer sauce for about 20 - 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, the egg, and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. In a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, spread about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Place 3 pieces crosswise evenly over the sauce. The pieces should not overlap because they expand when baked. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta. Spread 1/2 of the roasted vegetables over the cheese. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Repeat the layering of the noodles, ricotta mixture, vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and sauce. Top with another layer of noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture, sauce and ending with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the remaining half of the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional sauce.

Note -- the lasagna can be made ahead of time and baked and cooled. Cut into pieces and package for the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave on 70% power for 1 - 2 minutes.

VERDICT

I am sure it seems like a lot to make but the sauce is easily made while the veggies are roasting and it is really quick to put together, trust me I made this a few times and it gets quicker and quicker each time. You could use jarred sauce too if you must but I think you would be missing a little more of the fresh flavors. I have tried to make veggie lasagna in the past and it always seems so wet and gross. Just by roasting them they are heavenly. The ONLY thing I changed was the 2nd time I made it I chopped the veggies once they were roasted because they are more easily hidden from the kids and they dont even know they are eating them because they are mixed in with everything else on the plate...score 1 for sneaky mom. So get the ingredients and make this lasagna you wont be sorry.