Lighter Vegetable Lasagne Recipes

LIGHTER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Mix the spinach, cottage cheese, and egg in a large bowl.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and carrot until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey, and stir until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Pour the pasta sauce and water into the skillet. Season with rosemary,oregano, and basil. Simmer sauce for 10 minutes.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, and top with 3 noodles. Spoon an additional 1/3 of the sauce on the noodles; top with the spinach mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 3 noodles and the rest of the sauce. Pour the vegetable juice evenly over the lasagna, and top with the remaining mozzarella. Cover the dish with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

LIGHTER VEGETABLE LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the aubergine, courgette, pepper and onion in a large, shallow roasting tin. Scatter with the chilli flakes and season with pepper and a pinch of salt. Pour the oil over, toss together to coat (you can use your hands for this), then spread the vegetables out in a single layer. Roast for 15 mins, then give them a stir and spread them out again. Roast for another 10-15 mins until softened and turning golden.
• While the vegetables are roasting, make the tomato sauce. Tip the tomatoes into a medium pan, then pour 100ml water into the empty can, swirl it round and pour into the saucepan. Add the carrot and garlic, and simmer gently for 20-25 mins, partly covered with the lid and stirring occasionally, until the carrot is just tender. Stir in the tomato purée and the lentils, season with pepper and simmer for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil and set aside.
• Tip the spinach into a large heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water, press the leaves into the water and leave for 30 secs. Drain in a large colander and rinse under cold water briefly to cool it down quickly. Squeeze the spinach to remove the excess water, then roughly chop. Beat the egg in a bowl and stir in the ricotta, oregano, nutmeg and some pepper.
• Lay the lasagne sheets, spread well out, in a large shallow roasting tin and pour boiling water over to cover. Move them around with a wooden spoon to make sure they aren't sticking, then leave for 5 mins. ('No pre-cook' lasagne sheets benefit from a brief soaking, which improves the texture and makes them more pliable for layering in the dish.) Drain well and immediately separate them out to prevent them sticking.
• When the vegetables have finished roasting, lower the heat to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Spread a very thin layer of the tomato sauce (about 2 big spoonfuls) over the bottom of an ovenproof dish, about 25 x 18 x 7cm deep and 2 litres capacity. Lay 3 lasagne sheets across the width of the dish and spread over half of the remaining sauce and half of the roasted vegetables. Cover with 3 more lasagne sheets, then spread the spinach over the top and season with pepper. Put the ricotta mixture on top in spoonfuls and spread out over the spinach. Cover with the last 3 lasagne sheets. Spread over the rest of the tomato sauce and then the remaining roasted vegetables. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan to cover the vegetables and sauce as much as possible, then top with the cherry tomatoes. Season with pepper and lay a piece of foil loosely over the top. Can be made up to a day ahead and chilled - allow an extra few mins when baking the next day. Or freeze for up to 1 month and thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Bake for 35 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 5-10 mins until everything is bubbling around the edges. Scatter with oregano and basil leaves, and serve with a green salad.

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.

VERY VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large pot of boiling water, cook zucchini until just softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and let dry on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
• Stir together ricotta, spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread 1 cup marinara in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, one-quarter the ricotta mixture, one-quarter the zucchini, and 1 cup tomato sauce; repeat three times. Top with remaining 3 noodles, 2 cups marinara, and 1/2 cup mozzarella.
• Cover with parchment-lined foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan; bake 20 minutes more. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

EASY VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan over high heat, heat crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Over high heat, heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered, 10 minutes to blend flavors.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 12" by 8" baking dish. In medium bowl combine ricotta cheese and egg until well mixed. Spoon some tomato sauce on bottom of dish to coat. Place 3 noodles lengthwise across the pan. Top with 1/3 of tomato sauce. With a spatula, spread 1/3 of ricotta mixture. Scatter 1/3 of carrots and spinach on ricotta and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta, vegetables and mozzarella two more times. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Cover dish with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover dish; bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

LIGHTER BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, but keep them in their pot with the lid on to keep them flexible while you work. (No-boil or fresh noodles can be used instead, too.).
• Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and stir in chopped basil. (A little fresh thyme and/or rosemary is nice here, too.).
• Lightly coat a 13 by 9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 1 layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with another cup of sauce. Repeat layering 3 more times, ending with a layer of noodles. Finish by pouring the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkling lasagna with the remaining mozzarella.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes at 375. Remove foil and continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.