Jens Vegetable Lasagna Food

EASY VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. To prevent the noodles from sticking after they are drained, add two teaspoons of olive oil to the pasta water. Drain, then lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet with sides over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, zucchini, yellow squash, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened but still have some crunch, another 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the roasted red peppers and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the basil and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
• While the sauce cooks, stir the ricotta cheese, eggs, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until blended.
• Toss the parmesan cheese with the mozzarella. Set aside.
• Spoon enough vegetable mixture into the baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about 1 cup). Arrange four noodles lengthwise and side-by-side to cover the bottom. If the noodles are short on one end, you may need to cut an extra noodle and place it into the dish to cover where the other noodles have not.
• Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, then sprinkle a third of the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses on top of the ricotta. Finally, scatter a third of the vegetable sauce on top.
• Add another layer of four noodles and spread the remaining ricotta cheese over them. Scatter half of the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses over the ricotta. Spread half of the remaining vegetable sauce on top.
• Finish with a third layer of noodles and the remaining vegetable sauce. Finally, finish with the remaining cheese sprinkled all over the top.
• Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes; uncover, then bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is crusty around the edges.
• To make the cheese golden brown on top, slide the pan under the broiler and set to high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Let rest 10 to 15 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.

JEN'S VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.
• In large skillet cook onion, carrots, mushrooms and garlic in hot butter till tender; add broccoli and water, if needed. Simmer about 5 minutes till broccoli is crisp-tender.
• In a medium bowl stir together ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parm, eggs, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and pepper.
• In a 3 quart baking dish, evenly spread 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Place 3 noodles over the sauce. Layer with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, half of the veggie mixture, and 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spoon the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of parm. cheese.
• Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and back about another 10 minutes or until heated through.

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.

EASY VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender; add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomato puree, sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened. , Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the vegetables, salt and pepper. Transfer to two 15x10x1-in. baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. , Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with three noodles, 1-3/4 cups sauce, and half of the roasted vegetables and cheeses. Repeat layers. , Cover and bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add red pepper, carrot and onion; cook and stir until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini and garlic; cook and stir until squashes are crisp-tender., Stir in tomato paste, broth, brown sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix egg and ricotta cheese. Spread 1 cup vegetable mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Layer with two noodles (trim to fit pan), half of the ricotta mixture, about 1-1/2 cups vegetable mixture and two additional noodles. Top with remaining ricotta mixture, noodles and vegetable mixture., Sprinkle with cheeses and Italian seasoning. Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.