THE VEGGIE LASAGNA

What do you usually order when you go to an Italian restaurant? When I go to a new Italian restaurant, I like to order these two classic pasta dishes; bolognese or lasagna. I find that when a restaurant masters their bolognese or lasagna, the rest of their pasta dishes on the menu are quite good.

Though I love to eat lasagna, my body doesn’t. I often get very bloated and heavy afterwards. The combination of the fatty meat, copious amount of cheese, and the béchamel sauce, just knocks me out. So, I created a vegetarian version of this classic dish which is nutritious and packed with protein! Yay!

I know, you are thinking, vegetarian lasagna?… I does sound a bit unsexy but let me tell you, this is the best version I’ve tried. Many of the vegetarian ones I’ve tried are watery, bland and just do not hit the notes of the classic meaty lasagna. This one right here, is not only flavorful and full-bodied, it’s nutritious and packed with protein.

Many vegetarian lasagna recipes uses ricotta in their filling but it’s quite high in fat and I find that it’s just too much in addition to the other cheese you use in each layer. So, I discovered the marvellous cottage cheese! It’s low in fat but very high in protein and perfectly mimics the smooth texture of ricotta when blended.

It’s not only healthy and delicious, it’s an awesome fridge cleaner. If you have any vegetables that are getting old or you need to get rid of, just put in your lasagna! I actually like to make this dish on a regular basis for that reason. Plus, I’ll have some left over for the next day or take it to work for my lunch. As I mentioned, you can use any vegetable in your fridge but you want to have enough of it - approximately 3-4 cups. The combination of the vegetables in the recipe below works the best together in my opinion. So, I totally recommend you to give this recipe a try!

I hope you will enjoy!

-Ari Yori

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA RECIPE

prep time: 15-20 minutes

cook time: 20-30 minutes

bake time: 45 minutes

portion: 3-4 servings

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INGREDIENTS

Marinara:

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic, crushed and finely chopped

28 oz (800g) canned chopped tomato

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

9 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced

2-3 tsp salt

black pepper

Filling:

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 eggplant, chopped

1 tsp oregano

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze water out (1/4 cup afterwards) / 170g of fresh baby spinach

3-4 tsp salt

black pepper

Remaining ingredients:

2 cups (400g) cottage cheese

2 cups (150-200g) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan cheese

9 slices no-boil lasagna noodles

8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced for garnish

DIRECTIONS

First prepare your marinara as it will need to cook while you are preparing and cooking the rest of the filling.

Marinara:

1. Heat a medium size pot over medium heat and drizzle olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent then add garlic until fragrant.

2. Pour in canned tomatoes then add oregano and thyme. Mix well.

3. Add 1 tsp of salt and some pepper. Turn the heat down over low heat and let the tomato sauce simmer with the pot half covered. Make sure you stir every now and then while you are preparing the rest.

Filling:

1. Heat a large pan (cast iron ideally) over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil, add in the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Then add garlic and cook until fragrant.

2. You will start cooking the remaining vegetables. Add red and yellow bell pepper and cook until they become slightly softened. Then, add the zucchini until slightly soft. Then, add eggplant until soft. Zucchini and eggplant contain quite some water so they will reduce in size when you cook them down. Lastly, add spinach and mix well.

3. Add oregano and mix well. Then add salt and pepper to your taste - you’ll have to season it well as they are quite watery vegetables.

4. Take a food processor and blend your cottage cheese. In a large bowl, combine the blended cottage cheese and your cooked vegetables and mix well. Taste it and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Putting it together:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. When your marinara has reduced, add the basil and chilli flakes to your marinara. If you find that your marinara is too reduced, add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Then, blend the sauce in your food processor but not too much!

3. Grab your 9’ x 10’ (23cm x 25cm) baking dish and spread 3-4 tbsp of the marinara over the bottom of the baking dish.

4. Place 3 lasagna slices. Then spread half of the cottage cheese and vegetable mixture. Then spread half of the marinara. Sprinkle a third of the shredded mozzarella and parmesan evenly.

5. Add 3 more lasagna noodles. Then spread remaining half of the cottage cheese/vegetable mix. Sprinkle a third of the shredded cheese and parmesan.

6. For the last layer, add 3 lasagna noodles. Add remaining marinara then the cheeses. Feel free to add more cheese if you wish!

7. Cover the baking tray with foil making sure that it is not touching the cheese underneath. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Then for another 15 minutes uncovered when the cheese has turned a bit browned.

8. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish the lasagna with some basil.

PRO TIPS

• For the filling, cut the vegetables in similar sizes and make sure you cook it down well. They contain quite some water so you want to release all that fluid to ensure your lasagna does not become watery.

• Season the vegetables well! Before you arrange your lasagna together, give the marinara and the veggie/cottage cheese mix a taste and season it well with salt & pepper. Vegetarian lasagna can taste bland because it’s not seasoned enough with salt & pepper.

• If your lasagna noodles don’t fit perfectly, snap some pieces and make them fit!