Debbies Vegetable Lasagna Food

DEBBIE'S VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt margarine in a skillet over low heat; cook and stir flour, salt, and pepper into the melted margarine until smooth and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk and broth into flour mixture, stirring constantly; bring sauce to a boil. Stir wine into sauce and remove from heat. Stir Parmesan cheese into sauce until smooth.
• Whisk ricotta cheese, egg, and egg white together in a bowl.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; saute carrots, zucchini, and spinach until just becoming tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir vegetable mixture into ricotta mixture.
• Layer 1/3 the lasagna noodles, 1/3 the ricotta-vegetable mixture, and 1/3 the Parmesan sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish; repeat layering 2 more times with remaining ingredients, ending with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the sauce: Put the olive oil and garlic in a medium pot over low heat. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally at first and more often as it colors, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-low, add the onions and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, basil sprig, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt, raise the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a lively simmer. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until quite thick (if you draw a spoon through the sauce, you'll see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the sauce fills back in), about 30 minutes. As the sauce thickens, turn the heat down a bit so the bottom doesn't scorch. Stir in the chopped basil. Let cool to room temperature before assembling the lasagna. (Makes 1 quart.)
• To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Squeeze the spinach in your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Put it in a large bowl, and stir in the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the egg, 1 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg.
• Spread 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lay 3 lasagna noodles across the sauce (they won't touch). Spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce on top. Dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture (about 1 cup) across the sauce, and use the back of a spoon to spread it (it will smush into the tomato sauce, which is fine). Scatter 1 cup of the mozzarella on top.
• Repeat the layering 2 more times. Top with the last 3 noodles, spread the last 3/4 cup tomato sauce over them and scatter the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray, and cover the baking dish.
• Bake until the noodles are soft and the cheese has melted, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the cheese is bubbling and the lasagna is slightly browned around the edges, about 15 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

INDIVIDUAL VEGETABLE LASAGNAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a saute pan over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat when all vegetables are completely cooked but still have a good crunch. Allow to cool.
• Using a 6-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles out of the lasagna sheets. You will need 18 circles. Coat the bottom of 6 (6-inch) gratin dishes with a teaspoon of tomato sauce in each. Place a circle of pasta on the bottom of each ramekin. Rinse the beans with water and season with salt and pepper. Divide the beans between each ramekin. Next, divide the spinach between the ramekins. Place a second layer of pasta on top and gently press down. Divide the sauteed vegetables among the ramekins and top with a tablespoon of tomato sauce in each. Place the third layer of pasta in each ramekin and coat with a tablespoon of tomato sauce. Sprinkle ramekins with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and top each with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place gratin dishes on top. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling.
• In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

DEBBIE'S CROCK POT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Brown ground beef, onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic in frypan.
• Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, parsley and red pepper flakes.
• Cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
• Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
• Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
• Add wine and water around the lasagna.
• Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

DEBBIE'S VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt margarine in a skillet over low heat; cook and stir flour, salt, and pepper into the melted margarine until smooth and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk and broth into flour mixture, stirring constantly; bring sauce to a boil. Stir wine into sauce and remove from heat. Stir Parmesan cheese into sauce until smooth.
• Whisk ricotta cheese, egg, and egg white together in a bowl.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; saute carrots, zucchini, and spinach until just becoming tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir vegetable mixture into ricotta mixture.
• Layer 1/3 the lasagna noodles, 1/3 the ricotta-vegetable mixture, and 1/3 the Parmesan sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish; repeat layering 2 more times with remaining ingredients, ending with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.