FOODIE FRIDAY: VEGGIE LASAGNA

Happy Friday! TGIF!

I’m SO happy it’s Friday because I FINALLY get to share this recipe with all of you that I perfected this past weekend.. I always take recipes that I find online/in books as “suggestions” and add or subtract whatever I want and kinda just…. make it up as I go once I’ve gotten some guidance from the original source. I, for the first time, truly perfected a recipe while completely winging it. Mmmmmm I wish I had more of this left to eat it again even though I ate it alllllll week long.

Let’s get into it. Making a veggie/vegetarian lasagna. Trust me, you will love this one.

Adapted from Cookie and Kate

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
• half one medium butternut squash, chopped (about 1 cup.. or a bit more)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil + additional for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 cups (16 ounces) ricotta cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste (aka more)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (more)
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese (more won’t hurt)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. To prepare the veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the carrots, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 14 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later. Rinse out and return to the machine.
4. Transfer the cooked veggies to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped, not super puréed (although that’s okay too!), about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Pour into a separate bowl and add in ricotta cheese. Mix then add salt (to taste) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Now it’s lasagna assembly time!
5. Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the veggie & cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
6. Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining veggie & cheese mixture (we’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
7. Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce leftover) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
8. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil, but don’t let the foil touch the cheese. Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 15 more minutes, until the top turns spotty brown.
9. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve.