Fabio's Ultimate Veggie Lasagna

Fabio goes to the garden to take lasagna over the top for the ultimate Italian family meal. Batch cook this one and make enough to feed yourselves all summer. Also, need to know tips & tricks to help you avoid the 5 most common mistakes made when cooking lasagna!

Culinary tips:

-Most common mistake people use with dry noodles is to use them! For perfect lasagna, use fresh noodles in large sheets. Fresh noodles are growing in availability in American markets and can be found in your grocer's refrigerator section.

-Simple tip for perfectly moist lasagna? Grill your veggies first for great texture, more flavor, and less water. This is also a great way to transform leftover veggies!

-Since vegetables hold so much water, use a thick sauce to avoid an overabundance of moisture.















VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 batch Fabio's fresh pasta dough, rolled into large sheets

1 pound fresh portabella mushrooms, cleaned with stems removed

1 ea. green bell pepper, cored and quartered

1 ea. yellow bell pepper, cored and quartered

1 ea. red bell pepper, cored and quartered

1 ea. Eggplant, sliced lengthwise, about 1/2 inch thick

1 ea. Zucchini, sliced lengthwise, about 1/2 inch thick

24 ea. fresh basil leaves, torn

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1 batch Fabio's marinara sauce, cooled

2 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

First, prepare the vegetables:

Preheat outdoor grill or grill pan.

Drizzle the sliced vegetables with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Grill the vegetables on each side, over medium heat, until softened.

Remove the vegetables to a platter to cool.

To prepare the lasagna:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish.

Cut the cooled vegetables into a small dice (1/2-inch pieces).

Mix the veggies together and set aside.

Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce into the prepared pan, and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Top the marinara and oil with a layer of pasta.

Cover the pasta with marinara.

Add half of the grilled, diced vegetables, and season with black pepper.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella over the veggies, then top with half of the basil leaves.

Spoon on 1/2 of the ricotta cheese.

Top the ricotta with another layer of pasta, then repeat the build: marinara, veggies, black pepper, mozzarella, basil, ricotta.

For the final layer, cover the ricotta with pasta.

Top with marinara, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees F, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until browned.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and cover the lasagna with aluminum foil.

Bake for another 30 minutes, and let rest 15 minutes before serving.

MANGIA!


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Ricotta and Prosciutto Manicotti