Thursday, June 19, 2008

Easy Lasagna With Roasted Vegetables and Pesto

A very quick and easy Lasagna that is tasty too. Leftover or extra veggies from Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches or Tricolor pasta will make it a snap make this dish as well as the use of no-cook Lasagna noodles and purchased Marinara sauce; you can also use a well seasoned homemade sauce if you wish - you would need about 2 quarts plus a little more for serving.

For a gluten-free, soy-less and dairy-free dish, use corn tortillas for the noodles, mashed pinto or other beans instead of the ricotta cheese and tofu, and omit the Parmesan cheese.

All one needs to complete the meal is a crisp green salad and may be some fresh crusty bread. Place a dollop of the Basil-Parsley Pesto in a shallow dish and pour a few Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a dip for the bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb No-cook Lasagna noodles OR Corn tortillas
2 lbs Ricotta Cheese or Tofu or mashed beans
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 (32 oz) jars Marinara Sauce, your favorite type/brand
1 Recipe roasted vegetables, use 2 medium Each eggplants, zucchinis, carrots, red bell peppers; 2 cloves of garlic and 1 onion
1/2 recipe Basil-Parsley Pesto without the pistachios
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

If you don't have roasted vegetables already, chop the veggies, onion, and garlic; toss them with 1 or 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees F until veggies are soft and lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.

Mash the ricotta or tofu and mix well with 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper and the pesto.

Coat a 9" by 13" pan with oil or non-stick spray; pour a layer of sauce (2 cups) on the bottom.

Place a layer of the noodles/corn tortillas and cover with 2 cups of the sauce. Spread the ricotta/tofu mixture and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan.

Place another layer of the noodles/corn tortillas on top of the cheese. Cover the noodles with another 2 cups of the of sauce.

Spread the roasted vegetables evenly over the noodles/tortillas and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan and some black pepper.

Cover with another layer of noodles, 2 cups of sauce on top and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top.

At this point the assembled lasagna can be chilled until ready to bake; add 10 to 15 more minutes of baking time if you chill the lasagna.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F and check the lasagna. If lasagna seems dry, spread a little more of the sauce on top. Continue baking for 15 more minutes. Allow to cool and rest for 15 minutes.

Serve hot or warm with more sauce (heated) if desired.

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