Recipe VIDEO above. Layered with roasted vegetables, spinach and ricotta, a homemade sauce and as much cheese as you see fit, this big batch vegetarian lasagna reheats brilliantly. Epic meat-free food for carnivores!
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Western
Keyword: Vegetable Lasagna, Vegetarian Lasagna
Servings: 8- 12 people
Calories: 524cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables (Note 1):
500 g / 1 lbpumpkin, 2cm / 4/5" cubes
2large zucchinis, cut into 2cm / 4/5" chunks
2onions (any type), cut into wedges
2tbspolive oil
1garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
Spinach Ricotta:
250 g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
500 g / 1 lb ricotta(Note 2)
1/2 cup / 50 ggrated parmesan(or 3/4 cup shredded cheese)
3/4tspeach dried thyme and oregano(or basil, parsley)
1/2tspdried chilli flakes(can omit / adjust to taste)
Salt and pepper
Lasagna:
330g / 11 ozjar roasted red pepper strips, drained(Note 4)
375 g / 13 oz fresh lasagne sheets(Note 5)
300 g / 3 cupsshredded mozzarella(or MORE!)
Instructions
Roasted Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
Place vegetables on the tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper. Toss.
Roast for 25 minutes, turning at 15 minutes, until tender and browned.
Remove from oven, loosen from tray with spatula while warm (can stick when cools).
Sauce:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 3 minutes until golden.
Add passata, crushed tomato, water, dried herbs, chilli, salt and pepper. Stir. Simmer on medium low heat for 20 minutes. Adjust salt at the end. *Add a teeny touch of sugar if it's a bit sour, depends on quality of tomatoes used.*
Remove from stove and let cool for 5 minutes before using.
Ricotta Mixture:
Place ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.
Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 160C/320F.
Spread a ladle of tomato sauce on the base of a large baking dish (Note 5).
Cover with lasagna sheets, tearing as required to fit.
Top with roasted vegetables, scatter over red peppers. Spoon over 2 1/2 cups of Sauce, then sprinkle with half the cheese.
Cover with lasagna sheets. Spread over Ricotta mixture.
Cover with lasagna sheets. Pour over remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden. If using dried lasagna sheets, stick a knife in the middle to ensure it's cooked - if it needs longer, cover and stick it back in the oven.
Rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Store leftovers per notes - brilliant reheated!
Notes
1. Veggies - feel free to use any vegetables you want, just cut them so they roast in around 20 to 25 minutes. Cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, squash are some I've used in the past.Pumpkin: 600g/1.2lb unpeeled weight.2. Ricotta - It's best to get ricotta over the counter at the deli, even at supermarkets, rather than buying in tubs unless it's a brand you know is good like Paesanella. Harris Farms brand ricotta is also good. I find ricotta in tubs at supermarkets is typically grainy and kind of powdery - even the "big" brands (like Perfect Italiano).3. Tomato passatais pureed tomato, just plain tomato with no flavourings. It is so good for making sauces like this because it's smooth even without cooking it down for ages ie no tomato lumps. It comes in tall bottles and is better value than canned tomato (by weight). Found in the pasta aisle of supermarkets in Australia - it's becoming increasingly popular. I like to use a combination of passata and crushed tomato for for texture and flavour.If you can't find passata, use the same weight of crushed tomato.America - if you can't find tomato passata, use Tomato Puree or what you call Tomato Sauce.4. Roasted Red Peppers - optional, adds sweetness and extra flavour dimension. I use Always Fresh. You could just add chopped capsicum / bell peppers to the roasted vegetables.5. LASAGNA SHEETS: I like using fresh lasagne sheets sold in the fridge section. If you can only get dried, use No Boil sheets for convenience, or if required pre cooking, cook the lasagna sheets per the packet directions.If using dried instant / No Boil lasagne sheets, add an extra 1/2 cup of water into your sauce (because the lasagne sheets absorb liquid while cooking). Note, sometimes dried instant lasagna sheets usually end up with a buckled surface, but doesn't affect flavour.I prefer fresh lasagna because it doesn't absorb liquid while cooking so the lasagna stays really nice and saucy. SUB: Believe it or not, tortillas make an excellent substitute for lasagna sheets! Ideal gluten free option - use corn tortillas.6. My baking pan is 33 x 22 x 7 cm / 13 x 9 x 2.5".7. STORAGE: This keeps so well in both the fridge and freezer. Cool before covering, then refrigerate or freeze. Defrost before warming. I just reheat in the microwave, but you can also reheat in the oven.Make ahead: Best way is to assemble then refrigerate or freeze, then bake (defrosted) when required per recipe.8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 10 servings.