Oven Dried Tomato And Grape Lasagna With Spiced Ricotta Food

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• 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).
• 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.
• Place ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.
• 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!

LASAGNA WITH RICOTTA AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over moderate heat in large suacepan.
• Add onions, stir and cover.
• Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
• Using a food mill, puree plum tomatoes directly into the pan.
• Add 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, and cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced to about 4 1/2 cups.
• In a small bowl mix ricotta, egg, 2 tablespoons of the parmesan, basil, remaining salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
• Stir well to combine.
• Butter generously the bottom and sides of a baking pan, 13X9 inches.
• Take 3/4 cups of tomato sauce and spread on bottom of pan.
• Place 3 lasgana noodles on bottom of pan, overlapping them slightly.
• Spread a heaping 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture evenly over noodles.
• Spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce on top of this, sprinle with a heaping 1/3 cup of mozzarella.
• Repeat this 4 times.
• Then place last 3 noodles on top and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
• This lasagna may be assembled 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, covered.
• Bring to room temperature before cooking.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400.
• Bake on top shelf of oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
• Let sit 5 minutes and serve.

PESTO LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sautégarlic and onion in olive oil until onions are soft. Reduce heat and stir in the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes. Stir in spice and 1/2-1 can of tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 1 hour.
• Thaw spinach and squeeze all of the water out. I use 1 and 3/4 packages of spinach--adjust to your taste. Mix ricotta and cottage cheese in a large bowl. Stir in spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and salt and pepper to taste. When you have the taste to your liking, stir in the egg. This will help keep the lasagna together, but you will not taste it in the final product.
• Layer as follows into a 9x13 pan: Drizzle a little sauce in the bottom. Top with noodles. Spread Spinach mix and cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella slices and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat two more times, ending with cheese on the very top. Sprinkle the top with a little oregano and black pepper for aesthetic appearance.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. This dish can be made in advance and cooked right before serving.

EASY LASAGNA WITH PEPPERONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling, salted water 8-9 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
• Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a light simmer then reduce the heat and cook slowly, covered, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes (or place the sauce in a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use-in a few hours or overnight).
• Stir together the ricotta, parsley, and tarragon in a small bowl.
• To assemble the lasagna, lightly oil a 13 X 9-inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato marinara in the bottom of the dish and top it with 4 noodles, slightly overlapping. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta-herb mixture over the noodles, then scatter 1/3 of the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top.
• Cover the cheeses with 40 slices of pepperoni (5 rows of 8 pieces).
• Place 4 more lasagna noodles on top and spread with 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce and the remaining 1/2 of the ricotta-herb mixture. Scatter another 1/3 of the mozzarella and 2 more tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with the remaining 40 slices of pepperoni.
• Lay the last 4 noodles on top and spread with the remaining tomato sauce. Scatter the remaining 1/3 of the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top and sprinkle with dried oregano.
• Bake uncovered until the cheese is bubbly and the top begins to brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove and let rest 10 minutes.
• To serve, cut the lasagna into 6 pieces and serve.

OVEN-DRIED TOMATO AND GRAPE LASAGNA WITH SPICED RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Lay the noodles out flat in a single layer and set aside.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop 1 cup of the tomatoes. Place in a small saucepan with the strained tomato juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the remaining tomatoes in half lengthwise. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, egg, cumin, cinnamon, remaining salt and pepper to taste.
• Line the bottom of an 11-by-7-inch baking dish with 3 of the lasagna noodles, trimming them to fit if necessary. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Scatter half of the tomatoes and half of the grapes evenly over it. Repeat and finish with a third layer of noodles. Spoon the tomato sauce over the top.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve immediately.