Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Dinner together, at the table, as a family is so important.  Its a nightly ritual in our house. The TV is off, maybe some nice music is playing but playing low enough to where we can have family conversation.  The kids are pretty tired by dinner time from their busy days; but I don't want to lose touch, or look back when they are grown and wonder where the time went.  So I try to pry as much as I can from them at the dinner table, and use it as a time for us to pray together to start our meal, to eat good food we can all enjoy, and to get closer to each other through fellowship and conversation.  We have so many cool and hilarious moments together as a family at the dinner table that are frozen in my memory because we make a point to sit at the table and eat together no matter what...unless of course we are eating out then its a miracle from God if we can get through the meal without one or two of them breaking loose from the table and wreaking havoc in the poor establishment we've decided to patronize for that meal.  Half kidding...sometimes...Anyway, I love this dish and you can go totally vegan on it by subbing tofu products for the minimal amount of cheese in the recipe...I just have to enjoy some cheese sometimes, that is the Italian in me that I can't let go of.  Come on.. fresh, quality parmesan cheese slices or hunks with red apple slices...who wouldn't grind that?  Haven't tried it?  Don't hate it 'till you've tried to appreciate it.

Time consuming, multi-step process for preparation in this dish but well worth it if you can afford the time.  It’s light but rich and layered in flavors at the same time.  Its possible to make totally vegan but the Italian in me can’t give up the goodness of cheese entirely.

Roasted Veggies

4 small-med sized broccoli heads- chopped, stems removed

4 red bell peppers- ripped/torn into small pieces

3 carrots- sliced and halved

1 shallot diced

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp coarse sea salt

2 tsp herbs de provence

1tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar

wash, drain, chop and prep all veggies and spread on cookie sheet, dust with spices and dressings and turn/toss for even coating.  Roast in oven @ 450 for about 30 minutes or to your liking.

Sauce/Puree for Lasagna

1 small onion- chopped

1/2 shallot- chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper- chopped

1 cup of finished roasted veggies 

2 tbsp ricotta cheese (sub tofu ricotta if want to make entirely vegan)

2tsp olive oil

2tbsp torn fresh basil

4 tomatoes chopped

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 can of tomato sauce

put all ingredients in large food processor (or blender) and mix until smooth and creamy.  For a creamier and less chunky sauce add 1/2 cup of almond milk.

Mushroom Saute (for Lasagna filling)

1 small onion- diced

5 cups cremini mushroom sliced

1 tsp salt

1tsp fresh ground black pepper

3-4 tbsp earth balance

1 tbsp olive oil

dash of red wine (any kind, I used the last bit of a bottle that wasn’t drinkable anymore)

Saute onions in earth balance, salt and pepper for 5-7 min (until opaque), add mushrooms and olive oil, saute for 3-4 min, then add wine and simmer for 10-12 min.

other ingredients needed

lasagna noodles

1 can black olives- chopped

1 can favorite pasta sauce

daiya cheese- mozz style

2 fresh zucchini- thinly sliced
1 Tub of Ricotta (part skim) cheese- (sub Tofu Ricotta for Vegan)
4oz Parmasen cheese ( exclude if making vegan)

As you layer it...

When its finished..YUM!

Sophie enjoying..

Ash's Parents in town...

Okay so lots of steps and prep involved in this dish, so I find that what works best is to get done what takes the longest first.  You want to get the veggies in the oven to roast first.  Once those are in, start prepping your puree and have it ready so that when the veggies are done, you just pop the cup of cooked roasted veggies that you need in the processor, and then blend away.  As soon as the puree is prepped and waiting for the veggies to be done roasting, start the mushroom/onion saute.  Once the veggies are done roasting, add the necessary amount to the processor and puree, then get a lasagna dish or casserole dish, and layer the bottom with the other half of the can of tomato sauce left over from the puree, and add a few spoonfulls of your fav pasta sauce to the bottom of the dish as well.  Then, one by one, spread about 1/2 tbsp of ricotta (or tofu substitute) on the lasagna noodles (up to you how you want to go with the noodles, you can go no boil/bake or do the real deal, I find that the no bakers can tend to get gummy), and layer or lay them out to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.  Then you add your fillings to the first layer, add a few spoonfulls of mushroom saute, roasted veggies, your puree, chopped black olives, daiya cheese, and fresh zucchini slices (as thinly sliced as you can make them) to each noodle, then layer with another noodle and repeat.  I like to stack it up till its almost taller than the casserole dish itself, the last layer is just a noodle topper with a mix of the canned sauce, your puree sauce on top with a sprinkled layer of daiya and fresh grated parmesan cheese.  Place in the oven and bake @ 400 for about 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.


Serves 5-7
13x9x2 dish utilized