This recipe is great for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Being Italian, there is no hard and fast rules about portions (or measurements!) with respect to the vegetables and spices, so use the vegetable amounts and spices as guidelines. Add more or less of what you like and to preference. Just remember to maximize the veggies and keep the cheese within the measurements suggested. Make sure to have all your ingredients ready to go in assembly line fashion before the noodles are cooked. With the array of vegetables, this no longer can be called just another pasta dish!
For non-vegetarians, the only difference is adding a sauce with ground up meat. Depending on the region of Italy they will also have additional items like: 'Pancetta' (Italian version of bacon,fry before using), shredded ham pieces, prosciutto or hard boiled eggs. Experiment and add according to personal tastes.
Italian Style Vegetarian Lasagna
Prep: 45 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Serving: 4-6
Special Instructions: decide how many layers your casserole will hold; it will determine how you will be dividing the sauce, veggies, cheeses among the layers. Generally 3 layers is sufficient and you will need 9 sheets of noodle.
Ingredients
1 package (6-9 sheets) of Gluten Free Lasagna Noodle or 1 package of GF Spirals
3 cups of vegetarian tomato sauce (Or See Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe on Website)
one red pepper, thinly sliced
one yellow pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups of broccoli florets
1 zucchini, shredded
1 package of baby kale greens (or regular, remove tough stem, chopped)
1 package of baby spinach greens (or regular, well rinsed and tough stems removed)
1/2 cup of feta or sheep (goat or sheep)
1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella (goat or sheep)
1/4 cup of parmesan or pecorino
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp of dried oregano
1/2 - 1 tsp of black pepper, ground
fresh basil leaves, for topping
2-3 tomatoes, for topping
olive oil, for topping and bottom
Preparation:
slice, chop or shred vegetables
grate cheeses
taking a medium size skillet with drizzle of olive oil, quickly sauté (or steam) broccoli and pepper for 3-5 minutes till vegetables are bright in color. Set aside with other vegetables
cook pasta 4-5 minutes less than package instructions to al dente or just before, definitely not soft or mushy
drain and rinse; return to pot with 1 cup of cold water. GF pasta tends to stick easily and it can tear or be difficult to tear apart the noodles.
oil a medium to large oven (and/or freezer safe) casserole dish
add one ladle of tomato sauce on the bottom of casserole, add a layer of noodle.
make sure you are dividing your ingredient portions for 3 layers
follow this layering sequence: sauce, noodle, raw veggies (except tomatoes), sautè veggies, spices ( 1 tsp each of basil, oregano and pepper to preference), cheeses, just enough for covering, top with sauce (1cup approximately); begin again, noodle…….
the last layer (top) will be topped with tomatoes, fresh chopped basil leaves, pepper, cheeses and sauce.
drizzle olive oil along the sides of the casserole and over the top.
if you have run short on sauce, add a little water (1/4 cup) in casserole to compensate (gently pour on one edge/side of casserole, not on top of the veggies or noodle)
bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is bubbling on top
alternatively, cover and place in fridge for 1-2 days or freezer for 1-2 weeks.
Meal Tip/Preparation:
what is great about this dish is you can make it ahead, store in the fridge or freeze for a later date. Just make sure your container is freezer safe.
if you are a fan of eggplant, eggplant can be also added in place of zucchini; fry or bake before adding.
if you do make it ahead and reheat it, it counts as a “resistant starch”; this means that the pasta acts more like fibre and has less effect on blood sugar metabolism! Bonus!
leftovers can be frozen and reheated as per above
serve with Anna’s Italian Rustic Salad.