Cuisine: Italian
Inspiration: For the last few weeks, I’ve mentioned how I have ton of fresh garden vegetables to use. Lasagna is one of those dishes that will use up a whole lot of ingredients that need using, and a lot of vegetables that I had seemed to lend themselves really well to being roasted. Thus, I’ve had the idea in my head for a roasted vegetable lasagna for about a week now, and I was just waiting for a nice weekend day at home to try it out.
What we Loved: B and I both agreed that this was the best meal that we’ve had in a really long time. For the vegetable filling, I used a combination of zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, broccoli, onions, and garlic, and the flavor combination of all of those vegetables was just amazing. That slightly charred, roasted flavor really seeped through the entire lasagna and was the predominant taste, which was a great surpise as I was wondering if the roasted vegetable flavor would cut through the other more intense ingredients. Combined with a bechamel sauce that stayed really creamy and the sharp, nutty flavor of parrano cheese, this was just a really great lasagna that we both loved. I’m really excited about this recipe, and I’m really looking forward to the leftovers.
Helpful Hints: Cut up a lot of vegetables, many more than you think you will need. I had an entire pan heaped with what I thought was way too many vegetables, but they reduce a lot in the oven as you’re roasting them. After my vegetables had roasted, I wondered if I had enough. So use plenty! I also like to use olive oil and skim milk to make a bechamel sauce, which isn’t the traditional route, but I honestly think that it’s much better than using butter and/or a heavier milk/cream. In my opinion, using olive oil and skim milk is so much healthier, still tastes great, and still thickens up just like it should, so it’s my preferred method.
Other Lasagna Recipes: seafood lasagna
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Source: Original Recipe
For the Vegetable Filling
1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium-sized yellow squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 red pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets
1 small vidalia onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
For the Bechamel Sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups skim milk
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parrano cheese, shredded
For the Lasagna Layers
1 box lasagna noodles
3/4 cup Parrano cheese, shredded
1. Place the zucchini, squash, red pepper, and broccoli on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Roast the vegetables in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, flipping every ten minutes.
2. In a saute pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Saute the onion until softened, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for an additional minute. Add the onions and garlic to the roasted vegetables when they come out of the oven.
3. Boil the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted water for 7 minutes. Remove the noodles from the water, separating them onto paper towels or wax paper to avoid sticking.
4. In a sauce pan, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat to begin making the bechamel sauce. Add the flour, and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and bubbles, approximately 8-10 minutes. Season the sauce with pepper and a liberal amount of salt. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and a 1/4 cup Parrano. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, spread enough bechamel sauce to lightly coat the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the roasted vegetables, and 1/3 of the remaining bechamel.
6. Top with another layer of lasagna noodles, the other 1/2 of the vegetables, and 1/3 of the bechamel.
7. Top with a last layer of lasagna noodles and the last 1/3 of the bechamel. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with Parrano cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
This looks and sounds like a delicious lasagna. I bookmarked the recipe.
Hi Carrie! Thanks for visiting…
Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do (so many yummy looking posts you’ve got here), but I’ll start with this one.
I love lasagna, and I agree – it’s sort of one of those “kitchen sink” dishes. Like meatloaf (if you’re a meat eater.) And really anything goes. I love the veggies you included in yours. I have a variety in my garden and I think they just found a new home.
This recipe looked so fabulous; I just HAD to make it for Sunday dinner! It turned out well, but the roasted flavor of the veggies was not detectable. Perhaps my 1/2 in dice was a little too generous, but I would recommend roasting the zucchini and summer squash for 10-15 minutes before adding the other vegetables (the broccoli cooked more quickly). Thirty minutes did not produce any char on my veggies. In addition, I have a note of caution regarding the use of soymilk in the bechamel sauce. Since I didn’t have any milk in the house, I used 1.5 C of half and half with 1.5 C of plain soymilk. My sauce thickened beautifully, but unfortunately the soymilk gave it a sweet, soy aftertaste. I have used plain soymilk successfully in other recipes, but do not recommend it for this recipe. Thanks for writing such a great food blog and keep on cooking!
Perhaps the roasting time may vary a bit from oven to oven. My oven tends to run hot, so that may explain the shorter time needed for my veggies to char! And thanks for the soy milk tip. I have never used soy milk before, so I’m unfamiliar with where it can be used, but for those who use it, it’s a good tip!