Every summer I wish August repeats itself. For one reason. sun ripened fruits and veggies. Towards the end of summer tomatoes are at their peak flavor and sweetness. Perfect to eat raw and load up on nutrients, but what do you do when they are in abundance. I usually make pasta sauces or puree and freeze for later use.
This recipe celebrates late summer; fresh zucchini, fennel, carrots, eggplants, tomatoes and early mushrooms. Lasagna is more of a cold weather dish, hearty and substantial for cold nights. This lasagna is lighter, choke full of vegetables and yet rich in flavor. To make it vegan, substitute the butter for coconut oil, mozzarella for vegan mozzarella and parmesan with crumbled walnuts.
The quantity of veggies may seem a lot but trust me they cook down and intensify the flavor of the sauce. This recipe will fill 6 people easily or 4 hungry ones.
Ingredients:
serves 6-8
For the Bechamel Sauce
- 3 cups any % milk or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon plain flour
- pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Vegetables Sauce
- 1 cup finely chopped shallots or onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 fat cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 1 small fennel bulb finely chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 large Portobello or 8-10 cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 4 -5 (1 lb) green and yellow zucchini sliced
- 3-4 (1 lb) Japanese eggplants chopped ( look for slender long)
- 1-28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes organic preferred with sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- a few basil, sage leaves
- 2 cups yellow tomatoes, halved and small ones left whole
- 1 lb. (500 g) no-boil lasagna noodle sheet ( you may not need of all them)
- 1 cup shredded light (fontina, Asiago, mozzarella cheese combo or any one you have) or vegan mozzarella
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese or (1/4 cup chopped walnuts+ 1/4 cup nutritional yeast)
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots, carrots and fennel and cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until 8 to 10 minutes or shrunk a little. Add the canned tomatoes and with back of the spoon break the whole tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let it cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
In a sauce pan, warm the butter till melted add the flour and stir for a minute till the raw flour smell has gone.Slowly add the cold milk and stir vigorously with whip. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.Cook and stir constantly for 5-7 minutes till the mixture thicken and sticks to the back of the spoon. Set aside.
Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan and arrange a single layer of noodles sheet on the sauce. Top with 1/2 cup vegetable sauce, drizzle 1/4 cup of the bechamel sauce (do not cover) and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella. Layer the noodles sheet, vegetables sauce, bechamel sauce and mozzarella 2 more times. On the last top layer sprinkle the parmesan. (In total 3 layers)
Cut and lightly coat a piece of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the pan with the foil. Bake until the noodles are almost tender and the filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the baby yellow tomatoes on the top and continue baking until the top is browned, about 5-10 minutes more. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the sliced basil. Serves 4-8 depending on the appetite.
Leave a Reply