You are here: Home / dinner / Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

April 15, 2010 by 5 Comments

I am always a little skeptical about whether lasagna is really, truly worth it. I mean, we’ve all had it one million times, and it’s always kinda the same. But every once in a while I run across a recipe that restores my faith in lasagna, and this was one of them. Roasted vegetable lasagna that involves a sauce made of roasted tomatoes and a filling that includes roasted butternut squash and sauteed spinach.

It all comes together for a beautiful layered look that melts the heart of even a lasagna-doubter like myself…

I used lovely fresh mozzarella and ricotta and that helped (and in case you have not heard me go on and on about my adventures in ricotta-making, please click here. Or you can do what normal people do and get your fresh ricotta at Whole Foods.)

So if you are looking for a delicious and different lasagna, this ones for you. It also uses those no-boil noodles that I never think are going to work but they always magically DO! It’s one of the great mysteries in life.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne, adapted from Everyday Foods 

Print
Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Ingredients

14 plum tomatoes (about 3 pounds total), halved lengthwise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced inch thick
3 bunches (about 2 1/2 pounds total) spinach, trimmed and washed
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
9 to 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (from a 9-ounce package)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, oregano, and two-thirds the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush another rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange squash in one layer; season with salt and pepper. Roast squash until tender, about 20 minutes, and tomatoes until slightly shriveled, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add remaining garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually add 2 pounds spinach and toss until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer spinach to a strainer and press to release liquid. When cool, chop spinach and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, cup Parmesan, egg, and nutmeg until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread one-quarter the tomato sauce in dish, top with 3 to 4 noodles, breaking to fit as needed. Top with half the ricotta mixture, the squash, one-quarter the tomato sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining ricotta mixture, cooked spinach, one-quarter the sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining sauce, 1/2 pound mozzarella, and cup Parmesan.
4. Set rack in middle of oven. Bake lasagna on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let lasagna cool 15 minutes before serving.

Filed Under: dinner, pasta Tagged With: , , ,

Comments

Want a photo beside your name? Go to Gravatar.com, sign up for a free account, and upload a photo. It's super easy!

  1. Sandi says:
    April 16, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    this looks really delicious!

    Reply
  2. Cara says:
    April 16, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    Love the combination of veggies here. I agree – lasagna is usually just the "same old" and not necessarily worth the splurge to me, but this sounds wonderful!

    Reply
  3. Notes from a Broad says:
    April 18, 2010 at 12:31 am

    Since we don't eat meat and just cheese and ricotta are too heavy, I love making vegetable lasagna.
    I have always used a chunky tomato sauce with spinach and sauteed mushrooms between layers. This will be easy for me to make, they have plenty of squash here to choose from !
    It tastes sweeter from the squash, doesn't it ?

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    July 19, 2010 at 12:39 am

    how do you cut a butternut squash since it is so hard? do you have any suggestion?

    Reply
  5. Kate Morgan Jackson says:
    July 19, 2010 at 11:46 am

    Yes, they are hard as rocks, aren't they? I usually cheat and buy the already peeled and chopped up butternut in the supermarket, but here is a handy link if you are cutting up your own. I've had several people tell me that putting in the microwave first, as they mention in the link, makes it MUCH easier to peel and cut up. Good luck!

    http://video.about.com/homecooking/Butternut-Squash.htm

    Reply

Let's Talk!

*

Subscribe to FramedCooks

To subscribe in your favorite reader, copy this link:
http://framedcooks.com/feed and paste it
into your reader's 'new feed' tool.

To receive new posts via email, enter your email here: