Vegetable Lasagne with Tomato Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 14, 2011
Time
1¾ hours, plus 3 to 15 minutes sauteing and 20 to 35 minutes roasting
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Lasagne
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium cloves garlic, minced1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley leavesSalt and ground black pepper 15 no-boil lasagna noodles (dried, 7-by-3 ½-inch)3 cups vegetables, cooked and seasoned (see below)1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)1 ⅓ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (⅔ cup)Vegetable cooking spray for foilVegetables: Toss with enough olive oil to coat them lightly before roasting or sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
asparagus spears - trim tough ends, slice in half lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces; blanch until crisp-tender, drain well, and sauté until tender, about 3 minutesbroccoli or cauliflower - cut into florets, blanch until crisp-tender, drain, chop into ¼-inch pieces and sauté until tender, about 4 minuteseggplant - cut into ½-inch dice, roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degreesfennel - cut bulb into very thin strips; sauté until tender, about 15 minutes, or roast until tender, about 30 minutes at 400 degreesmushrooms - trim and slice or dice; sauté until golden, about 5 -7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 20 minutes at 400 degreesonions - peel and cut into thin slices; sauté until soft and golden, 5 -7 minutes, or roast until soft and golden, about 20 minutes at 400 degreesspinach or Swiss chard - wash, stem and chop; sauté until wilted, about 5 minuteszucchini - cut into ½-inch dice; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degreesVegetable Seasonings
minced garlic (optional)minced fresh herbs (optional)red pepper flakes (optional)Before You Begin
Smoked mozzarella, Gruyère, or Fontina can be substituted for the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan. Also, three and one-half cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce can be substituted for the sauce in this recipe. Because no-boil noodles come twelve to sixteen in a box, we suggest buying two boxes to ensure that you'll have the fifteen required for this lasagne.
Instructions
- Heat oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil or parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into large measuring cup. Add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.
- Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over bottom of greased 13-by-9-inch lasagne pan. Lay three noodles crosswise over sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or sides of pan. Spread 3/4 cup prepared vegetables evenly over noodles, 1/2 cup sauce evenly over vegetables, and 3/4 cup mozzarella and 2 generous tablespoons Parmesan evenly over sauce. Repeat layering of noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses three more times. For fifth and final layer, lay final three noodles crosswise over previous layer and top with with remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. (Can be wrapped with plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, defrost in refrigerator).
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover pan with large sheet foil greased with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes (30 minutes if chilled); remove foil and continue baking until top turns golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let lasagne rest 5 minutes. Cut and serve immediately.
Time
1¾ hours, plus 3 to 15 minutes sauteing and 20 to 35 minutes roastingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Lasagne
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
15 no-boil lasagna noodles (dried, 7-by-3 ½-inch)
3 cups vegetables, cooked and seasoned (see below)
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 ⅓ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (⅔ cup)
Vegetable cooking spray for foil
Vegetables: Toss with enough olive oil to coat them lightly before roasting or sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
asparagus spears - trim tough ends, slice in half lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces; blanch until crisp-tender, drain well, and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes
broccoli or cauliflower - cut into florets, blanch until crisp-tender, drain, chop into ¼-inch pieces and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes
eggplant - cut into ½-inch dice, roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
fennel - cut bulb into very thin strips; sauté until tender, about 15 minutes, or roast until tender, about 30 minutes at 400 degrees
mushrooms - trim and slice or dice; sauté until golden, about 5 -7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
onions - peel and cut into thin slices; sauté until soft and golden, 5 -7 minutes, or roast until soft and golden, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
spinach or Swiss chard - wash, stem and chop; sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes
zucchini - cut into ½-inch dice; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
Vegetable Seasonings
minced garlic (optional)
minced fresh herbs (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)
Ingredients
Lasagne
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
15 no-boil lasagna noodles (dried, 7-by-3 ½-inch)
3 cups vegetables, cooked and seasoned (see below)
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 ⅓ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (⅔ cup)
Vegetable cooking spray for foil
Vegetables: Toss with enough olive oil to coat them lightly before roasting or sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
asparagus spears - trim tough ends, slice in half lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces; blanch until crisp-tender, drain well, and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes
broccoli or cauliflower - cut into florets, blanch until crisp-tender, drain, chop into ¼-inch pieces and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes
eggplant - cut into ½-inch dice, roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
fennel - cut bulb into very thin strips; sauté until tender, about 15 minutes, or roast until tender, about 30 minutes at 400 degrees
mushrooms - trim and slice or dice; sauté until golden, about 5 -7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
onions - peel and cut into thin slices; sauté until soft and golden, 5 -7 minutes, or roast until soft and golden, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
spinach or Swiss chard - wash, stem and chop; sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes
zucchini - cut into ½-inch dice; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
Vegetable Seasonings
minced garlic (optional)
minced fresh herbs (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)
Ingredients
Lasagne
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
15 no-boil lasagna noodles (dried, 7-by-3 ½-inch)
3 cups vegetables, cooked and seasoned (see below)
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 ⅓ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (⅔ cup)
Vegetable cooking spray for foil
Vegetables: Toss with enough olive oil to coat them lightly before roasting or sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
asparagus spears - trim tough ends, slice in half lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces; blanch until crisp-tender, drain well, and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes
broccoli or cauliflower - cut into florets, blanch until crisp-tender, drain, chop into ¼-inch pieces and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes
eggplant - cut into ½-inch dice, roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
fennel - cut bulb into very thin strips; sauté until tender, about 15 minutes, or roast until tender, about 30 minutes at 400 degrees
mushrooms - trim and slice or dice; sauté until golden, about 5 -7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
onions - peel and cut into thin slices; sauté until soft and golden, 5 -7 minutes, or roast until soft and golden, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
spinach or Swiss chard - wash, stem and chop; sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes
zucchini - cut into ½-inch dice; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
Vegetable Seasonings
minced garlic (optional)
minced fresh herbs (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)
Why This Recipe Works
We knew that no-boil noodles would save time, but we weren't sure of the best way to handle them in our quick vegetable lasagna recipe. We learned that one secret to cooking successfully with no-boil noodles is to leave your tomato sauce a little watery. The noodles can then absorb water without drying out the dish overall. Another is to cover the lasagna with foil for part of the cooking time, thereby preventing the loss of moisture. But we found out that it was important in our quick vegetable lasagna recipe to control the amount of moisture added by the vegetables by precooking (either sautéing or roasting) them, which had the added advantage of boosting the flavor of the finished lasagna as well.
Before You Begin
Smoked mozzarella, Gruyère, or Fontina can be substituted for the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan. Also, three and one-half cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce can be substituted for the sauce in this recipe. Because no-boil noodles come twelve to sixteen in a box, we suggest buying two boxes to ensure that you'll have the fifteen required for this lasagne.
Instructions
- Heat oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil or parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into large measuring cup. Add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.
- Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over bottom of greased 13-by-9-inch lasagne pan. Lay three noodles crosswise over sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or sides of pan. Spread 3/4 cup prepared vegetables evenly over noodles, 1/2 cup sauce evenly over vegetables, and 3/4 cup mozzarella and 2 generous tablespoons Parmesan evenly over sauce. Repeat layering of noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses three more times. For fifth and final layer, lay final three noodles crosswise over previous layer and top with with remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. (Can be wrapped with plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, defrost in refrigerator).
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover pan with large sheet foil greased with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes (30 minutes if chilled); remove foil and continue baking until top turns golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let lasagne rest 5 minutes. Cut and serve immediately.
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