Roasted Vegetable Lasagna – Recipe

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One of my most favorite vegetables is eggplant. Last year the harvest was almost overwhelming; the hubby would bring in bowls full of beautiful Asian eggplants and we were eating them in various recipes for weeks.  I made a couple of eggplant lasagnas – we would eat them for a couple of nights and I froze the leftovers for eating later in the winter. It’s a meal that freezes beautifully. Freezing eggplant for later use is also a wonderful way to preserve the harvest. This roasted vegetable lasagna recipe is a wonderful way to celebrate the bounty of summer.

Some years the garden does not do well and the eggplant harvest can fit in one bowl. That’s when I have to take my favorite recipes and adjust a little. For example – there are always zucchini. That makes it easy to take an eggplant lasagna and turn it into a roasted vegetable lasagna. I will look forward to making these come summer. The recipe does freeze beautifully so it’s nice to have one in the freezer when I need a meal.

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Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

For Lasagna Noodles:

• 7 oz flour – a mix of semolina and all purpose
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

or

• 1 box lasagna noodles

For the Filling:

• 8 Asian eggplants
• 3 medium zucchini
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 8 oz tub ricotta
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs finely chopped basil
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper

For the Bechamel:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

• If you are making your own pasta mix the two flours and put them on the counter in a mound.
• Make a well in the center and add the eggs, olive oil and salt.
• Stir the mixture with a fork gradually bringing in bits of flour at a time until it is all incorporated and you have a smooth dough.
• Knead for 10 minutes. Flatten into a disc and let rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
• While the pasta dough is resting you can roast the vegetables.
• Preheat the oven to 350°
• For the eggplant – trim the ends and cut them into discs about 1/4″ thick.
• Add the discs to a bowl and sprinkle with salt and 1/2 cup olive oil. Mince two cloves of garlic and add to the bowl.
• Mix well. Lay the eggplant out on baking sheets and roast for about half an hour, Rotate the sheets and bake for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned. Set aside.
• For the zucchini – trim the ends and cut them into discs about 1/4″ thick. Add them to a bowl and sprinkle with salt and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mince two cloves of garlic and add to the bowl. Lay them out on baking sheets and roast for about half an hour. Rotate the sheets and bake for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned. Set aside.

Make the bechamel: 

• in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat melt the butter. Add the flour. Mix until you have a thick paste.
• Pour in the milk, whisking so as to not have any lumps. Add the nutmeg. When the mixture thickens add the cheese. Let cook until the cheese melts completely. Set aside.

Make the ricotta mixture: 

• In a small bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, basil.
• Mince the remaining two cloves of garlic and add them in. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook the lasagna noodles; 

• For homemade noodles –  cut the disc into quarters. I have an attachment for my KitchenAid so I use that to make my noodles. Follow the directions for whatever method you use to make homemade pasta.
• Cut the noodles just slightly larger than the 13″ length of the dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Cook the noodles for just about a minute and carefully remove them. Set aside.
• If you are using noodles from a box cook them just until al dente and set aside.

Build the lasagna: 

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 13 x 9″ pan with cooking spray.
• Cover the bottom with lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with the roasted eggplant slices.
• Add half of the ricotta mixture and 1/4 of the bechamel. Top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with noodles. Then layer the roasted zucchini, the rest of the ricotta mixture, 1/4 of the bechamel, a cup of mozzarella.
• Top with the rest of the lasagna noodles. Cover the top with the rest of the bechamel and cheese.
• Spray a piece of foil large enough to cover the pan with cooking spray. Cover the lasagna with the foil. Put the lasagna in the preheated oven and bake for an hour.

• Remove the foil and bake for another half hour until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
• Let the lasagna sit for at least 15 minutes before you cut and serve

 

 

How Was the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna?

This is a deliciously rich meal. Creamy and decadent. I usually serve this with a side salad with a bright vinaigrette. The salad dressing helps balance the richness of the lasagna. Next time I make it I might also serve homemade garlic knots or bread sticks.

The noodles soaked up the juices from the vegetables and the bechamel. It’s even better on the second day. It thaws and cooks up like it had just come out of the oven fresh. The zucchini was a lovely addition and I really didn’t miss the extra layer of eggplant.

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