I love a good lasagna (I am my father's daughter! Hi Daddy!) and was excited to try Jenny's garden version. Same great flavor with the added veggies tucked right in - so side dish needed!
I admit that I was very skeptical about the sauce - it just seemed so THICK and pasty! But it really delivered and everyone ate it. The marscarpone gave it a little bit of added flavor and texture, and the veggies... MMMM!!! A great meal for summer, and a great way to lighten up such a classic.
It does take a bit to prepare (plus the hour baketime), so it's not a good work-week dinner, but when you have the extra time to devote to your dinner, it's totally worth it.
Ingredients:
Homemade Pasta Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Cup finely diced white onion
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Vegetable filling
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 butternut squash, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
- 2 Cups broccoli florets
- 2 Cups diced eggplant
- 4 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- Pinches of salt
Ricotta Mascarpone Layers
- 1 ½ pounds part skim ricotta cheese
- 1 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- ½ Cup soft mascarpone cheese
- 2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- 9 oz oven ready lasagna noodles
To Assemble:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat bottom of a large 9x13 inch baking dish with a couple ladles of homemade sauce. Next, layer with lasagna noodles. Spoon 1/3 Ricotta Mascarpone mixture over noodles, spreading slightly (I used my fingers). Top evenly with 1/3 vegetables. Repeat this process 2 more times or until all ingredients are used up. The top layer should be lasagna noodles. Pour remaining sauce over noodles then sprinkle with 2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for 45-50 minutes, then remove foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
2. Let sit in pan for 15 minutes before cutting into it. Serve and enjoy!
Wow! 4 kinds of cheese? Vegetables mixed right in? I can't wait to make this!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks delicious. And complicated. Glad it was worth it!
ReplyDelete