Summer Vegetable Lasagne Recipes

SUMMER VEG LASAGNE

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to full whack.
• Trim and finely slice the spring onions.
• Pour the oil from the anchovy tin into a large frying pan over a high heat, then add the spring onions and anchovies (save the rest for another day).
• Using a garlic crusher, crush the garlic straight into the pan and toss everything together well.
• Line up the asparagus, trim off the woody ends, then finely slice and add the stems to the pan, reserving the tips for later.
• Season with sea salt and black pepper, add 1 splash of boiling water and cook for a few minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
• Add the peas and broad beans to the pan, then pick, roughly chop and add the mint along with the cream. Finely grate in half the lemon zest.
• Roughly mash and squash everything in the pan using a fork or a potato masher, then season to perfection with salt and pepper.
• Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then stir in 1 tub of cottage cheese - the consistency should be creamy and loose.
• Place a deep 30cm x 35cm roasting tray on a medium heat. Spoon in a quarter of the veggie mixture to cover the bottom of the tray, then top with a layer of lasagne sheets, and a good grating of Parmesan. Repeat the layers with the rest of the veg and pasta, finishing with a layer of lasagne sheets.
• Mix the remaining tub of cottage cheese with 1 splash of water to loosen, then spread evenly over the top of the lasagne.
• Toss the reserved asparagus tips in a drizzle of oil, then tip onto the lasagne, pushing everything down with the back of a spoon to compact.
• Strip over the thyme leaves and finish with a drizzle of oil and a generous grating of Parmesan.
• Turn the heat under the tray up to high and cook until the lasagne starts to bubble, then place under the grill on the middle shelf for 8 minutes, or until golden and gorgeous. Delicious served with a seasonal green salad.

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 LASAGNE RECIPE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / fan oven 170°C / Gas 5.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and add the green beans, courgette, red onion and peppers. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened - about 4-5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir in the tomato sauce for lasagne with roasted onion and garlic.
• Tip half the vegetable mixture into a large rectangular baking dish, measuring about 26cm x 20cm. Arrange 3 lasagne sheets on top, then spread half the creamy sauce for lasagne over them. Repeat the layers, then sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the surface.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked and golden brown. Allow to stand for a few minutes, then serve, garnished with a few basil leaves.

SUMMER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain juices. Mix the onion, green bell pepper, carrots, garlic, and tomato sauce into the skillet. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
• In the bottom of the prepared baking dish, layer 1/2 the zucchini strips. In a bowl, beat together the cottage cheese and egg, and spread over the zucchini. Scoop 1/2 the beef mixture over the cottage cheese and egg mixture, and sprinkle with 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining zucchini, beef mixture, and mozzarella. Top with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to sit 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

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.