Recipe
Very Veggie Lasagna
This crowd-pleasing lasagna is chock-full of all your favorite veggies: mushrooms, onions, broccoli, carrots, red, yellow and green bell peppers, yellow squash, and zucchini! Whew!
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) containers ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 1/4 cups finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon Emeril's Italian Essence or other dry Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 cups)
- 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow squash
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 12 to 15 large uncooked lasagna noodles
- 5 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/4 pounds)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, basil, thyme, parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and Italian Essence and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and the mushrooms are wilted and have released their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add all the remaining vegetables except the tomatoes, and cook, stirring, until they start to soften, about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, using your fingers, crush the tomatoes into pieces.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar to the pot, and cook, stirring, until thick and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and stir well.
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Spread 3 cups of the tomato-vegetable sauce evenly over the bottom of a large roasting pan. Arrange one layer of lasagna noodles on top, being careful not to overlap them.
- Spoon 1 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the ricotta.
- Repeat the layering with the remaining ingredients, for a total of 3 complete layers, ending with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, carefully remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Do not remove the foil with bare fingers.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, return the pan to the oven and bake the lasagna until golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the lasagna from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Details
- Source: There's a Chef in My Family
- Dish Type: Entree
- Cuisine: Italian
- Cooking Method: Combination
- Occasion: Any
- Effort Level: Moderate
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