While there are lasagna pasta noodles in this vegetable lasagna, there is no meat, allowing the fresh veggies to really shine and add great flavors. Perfecto!
Behind the scenes in making Vegetable Lasagna
Like Garfield I love lasagna.
Unlike Garfield I love anytime I can add healthy vegetables to an already delicious dish. Using fresh summer vegetables, this Vegetable Lasagna delivers on both flavor and good health.
I do use pasta in this recipe as I find that a completely vegetable lasagna is just too runny. The vegetables are naturally full of water, so the no-boil noodles work perfectly, by not only absorbing the excess liquid but by flavoring themselves in the veggie water and keeping the whole thing from slipping off into a big mound of mushy vegetables.
LindyTip: Use no-boil noodles to absorb all the juicy veggie juice
Big mounds of mushy vegetables, to me, is not good eats.
Nope, not good at all.
I kept this as easy as I could by using a jarred marinara sauce. If you have a lot of tomatoes, or the desire, feel free to make your own fresh as I do here in my recipe for a Basic Marinara Sauce. It's really pretty simple to make it yourself; just another step.
Same with the roasted red peppers, jarred is almost as good as fresh, and in this recipe, I don't think you will really be able to tell the difference so I used jarred.
How much time you have is key.
Most recipes that use peeled tomatoes will tell you to mark them with an X on the bottom and then plunge them into boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes then plunge them into ice water to cool then peel them.
Plunge
Plunge
Too much plunging. Too much water.
My favorite method of peeling tomatoes is to stick a fork into the stem end and hold it over an open flame, turning it evenly until the skin just starts to pop. Set them aside for a few minutes as you finish your task and then peel. If you have an electric stove, the option will have been made for you, but if you have a gas range, you can use either option. I think the tomato maintains more of its flavor with my favorite method.
Well, I think so. But do whatever suits you.
This is an excellent use of those large zucchinis that end up growing in your garden at the end of the summer.
I promise the whole family will eat their vegetables!
Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatoes peeled, seeded and sliced
- 1 large zucchini cut into thin ribbons length-wise - like lasagna noodles
- 1 7.25 ounce jar roasted red peppers, or fresh roasted
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese grated
- 1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese, use a high-quality cheese or Fresh Homemade Ricotta
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup or more, fresh basil, shredded or torn
- 2 28 ounce jars your favorite marinara sauce or Basic Marinara Sauce
Instructions
- Spread about 1 cup of the marinara on the bottom of a baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, overlapping a bit. Add the ricotta cheese by dropping small spoonfuls over the noodles, you do not have to spread it out, it will spread as it bakes. Top the ricotta with the zucchini ribbons, ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan and basil. Make another layer with the marinara, 4 more lasagna noodles, the peppers, ½ cup mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and basil. Finish with the marinara, remaining noodles, the remaining ricotta, the tomato slices, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella and remaining basil.
- Heat oven to 350° F. Bake, covered for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes more. Remove and allow to sit for 15 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
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