Trevor's Kitchen

Trevor's Kitchen

Ina Garten’s Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Ina Garten’s Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

About the Recipe

The problem with most vegetable lasagnas is that when they cook, excess liquid in the veggies can make the dish watery. Ina’s solution? Roasting the vegetables first. Not only does it make everything tender and succulent, but it also deepens the flavors, so it tastes rich and meaty.
In her headnotes, Ina explains, “I’ve wrestled with all kinds of vegetable lasagnas. I love the flavor but the liquid in the vegetables always makes the lasagna watery. To solve the problem, I roasted the vegetables first and didn’t precook the noodles, and the result is a delicious one-dish dinner. Herbed goat cheese, fresh ricotta, mozzarella, basil, and lots of Parmesan make it really satisfying.”
Tester’s Notes
Although this lasagna takes some time to put together, I love that you can do it the day before and just bake when ready to serve! It’s definitely hearty and will make a vegetarian crowd very happy. When soaking the lasagna noodles, I found that a really wide pot worked better than using a bowl, as that allowed the noodles to sit flat as they soaked. Before sprinkling the zucchini and eggplant with the seasonings, I found it easier to just mix the salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl together, rather than sprinkling them all separately.
If you don’t have an electric mixer for the ricotta filling, don’t despair! As long as everything’s at room temperature, you can just whisk it together by hand — it’ll just take a little bit of muscle.
By Christine
Yield: serves 10

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled, sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick
3/4 pound zucchini, unpeeled, sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick
2/3 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
10 ounces lasagna noodles, such as De Cecco
16 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta
8 ounces creamy garlic-and-herb goat cheese, at room temperature
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 1/2 cups good bottled marinara sauce, such as Rao’s (40 ounces)
1 pound lightly salted fresh mozzarella, very thinly sliced

Getting it done:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the eggplant and zucchini in single layers on 3 sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Brush them generously with the olive oil on both sides, using all of the oil. Sprinkle with the oregano (I crush it in my hands), 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, sprinkle the garlic evenly on the vegetables, and roast for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350°F.

2. Meanwhile, fill a very large bowl with the hottest tap water and add enough boiling water to bring the temperature to 140°F. One at a time, place the noodles in the water and soak them for 15 minutes, swirling occasionally so they don’t stick together. Drain and slide the noodles around again.

3. Combine the ricotta, goat cheese, eggs, basil, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed.

4. Spread 1 cup of the marinara in a 9×13×2-inch baking dish. Arrange a third of the vegetables on top, then a layer of the noodles (cut to fit), a third of the mozzarella, and a third of the ricotta mixture in large dollops between the mozzarella. Repeat twice, starting with the marinara. Spread the last 1 1/2 cups of marinara on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

5. Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the lasagna is browned and bubbly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve hot.

RECIPE NOTES
Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna completely and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost (if necessary) and bake before dinner.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled, sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick
3/4 pound zucchini, unpeeled, sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick
2/3 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
10 ounces lasagna noodles, such as De Cecco
16 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta
8 ounces creamy garlic-and-herb goat cheese, at room temperature
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 1/2 cups good bottled marinara sauce, such as Rao’s (40 ounces)
1 pound lightly salted fresh mozzarella, very thinly sliced

Getting it done:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the eggplant and zucchini in single layers on 3 sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Brush them generously with the olive oil on both sides, using all of the oil. Sprinkle with the oregano (I crush it in my hands), 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, sprinkle the garlic evenly on the vegetables, and roast for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350°F.

2. Meanwhile, fill a very large bowl with the hottest tap water and add enough boiling water to bring the temperature to 140°F. One at a time, place the noodles in the water and soak them for 15 minutes, swirling occasionally so they don’t stick together. Drain and slide the noodles around again.

3. Combine the ricotta, goat cheese, eggs, basil, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed.

4. Spread 1 cup of the marinara in a 9×13×2-inch baking dish. Arrange a third of the vegetables on top, then a layer of the noodles (cut to fit), a third of the mozzarella, and a third of the ricotta mixture in large dollops between the mozzarella. Repeat twice, starting with the marinara. Spread the last 1 1/2 cups of marinara on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

5. Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the lasagna is browned and bubbly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve hot.

RECIPE NOTES
Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna completely and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost (if necessary) and bake before dinner.

About the Recipe

The problem with most vegetable lasagnas is that when they cook, excess liquid in the veggies can make the dish watery. Ina’s solution? Roasting the vegetables first. Not only does it make everything tender and succulent, but it also deepens the flavors, so it tastes rich and meaty.
In her headnotes, Ina explains, “I’ve wrestled with all kinds of vegetable lasagnas. I love the flavor but the liquid in the vegetables always makes the lasagna watery. To solve the problem, I roasted the vegetables first and didn’t precook the noodles, and the result is a delicious one-dish dinner. Herbed goat cheese, fresh ricotta, mozzarella, basil, and lots of Parmesan make it really satisfying.”
Tester’s Notes
Although this lasagna takes some time to put together, I love that you can do it the day before and just bake when ready to serve! It’s definitely hearty and will make a vegetarian crowd very happy. When soaking the lasagna noodles, I found that a really wide pot worked better than using a bowl, as that allowed the noodles to sit flat as they soaked. Before sprinkling the zucchini and eggplant with the seasonings, I found it easier to just mix the salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl together, rather than sprinkling them all separately.
If you don’t have an electric mixer for the ricotta filling, don’t despair! As long as everything’s at room temperature, you can just whisk it together by hand — it’ll just take a little bit of muscle.
By Christine
Yield: serves 10

Nutritional Info

Recipe Categories

pie-with-meat-01-w
Chicken
Fish
Durban Curry 2
Indian
pie-with-meat-01-w
Pie
Koeksisters-04-w
South African
Dahl-3-w
Soup
healthy-vegetarian-w
Vegeterian

Recipe Categories

0 0 votes
Article Rating
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x