Summer Vegetable Lasagna Food

SUMMER VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Pile the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the center for the egg. Mix the flour a bit at a time with the egg and add the water a little bit at a time. Add the salt and knead by hand for a couple minutes to form a smooth dough. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
• Using a pasta machine or rolling pin, tear off a small piece of the dough. Dust with flour and insert into the machine at the largest setting. Fold in half and repeat. Adjust to a higher setting so that the dough sheet gets even thinner. Run through, fold, and run through again. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Pour a bit of marinara in the bottom of a casserole dish to prevent the noodles from sticking. Add a layer of fresh noodles* and spread about 1/4 cup marinara on top. Add a layer of zucchini, fresh herbs, and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt and red pepper flakes.
• Continue to layer with the ricotta, noodles, sauce, and vegetables.
• For the final layer, top with noodles and drizzle with olive oil. Break the mozzarella into small pieces and spread over the top. Cover loosely (this is so steam can escape) with foil and roast for 30 minutes, covered. Remove the foil and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

SUMMER VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add eggplant and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is browned, about 7 minutes.
• Transfer to a large bowl.
• In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant.
• In the same pan, cook onion and peppers until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add squash, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and cook until squash just begins to soften, about 4 minutes.
• Add vinegar and bring to a simmer; cook until vinegar is almost nearly reduced, about 4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and oregano, stir to combine, then remove from the heat.
• Combine with reserved eggplant and mushrooms, and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, and black pepper; stir to combine.
• In a separate bowl, combine mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
• Spread 2 heaping cups of the vegetable mixture in the bottom of a 9x15-inch baking dish.
• Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.
• Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture (about 1/2 cup) over the noodles, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
• Repeat with the remaining noodles, ricotta, and cheeses, ending with a layer of cheese.
• Set aside any remaining vegetable mixture to top the cooked lasagna later, if you like.
• Cover the lasagna with foil and cook until cheese is bubbly and hot throughout, about 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake until the top is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Set aside to rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and serve with reserved vegetable mixture, if you like.

SUMMER VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• To prepare the veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.
• Add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring frequently,until the spinach is wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.
• Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (you should have a little over 2 cups sauce). Rinse out the food processor. Add the basil,olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.
• Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time. Just put it back onto the machine because you'll need it later.
• Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped (but not pureed), about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
• Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top.
• Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we're skipping the tomato sauce in this layer). Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top.
• Top with 3 or more noodles, then spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce left over) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
• Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don't let it come in contact with the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180 and continue cooking for about 10 to 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown.
• Remove from the oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to cool to a reasonable temperature. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve.