Mediterranean Veggie Lasagna Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Take the thinly sliced zucchini and eggplant and salt both sides generously. Place in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Then, transfer the zucchini and eggplant to double-layered paper towels to absorb the remaining excess liquid. Let sit for another 30 minutes.
• As you wait for your vegetables to release the excess liquid, ring out and drain all excess water from your frozen spinach. Make sure you're thorough, as excess water will make your lasagna soggy.
• After an hour total of salting the vegetables, pat and wipe them dry.
• In a moderately large bowl, combine the spinach, feta, minced garlic, 1/4 cup mint, 1/4 cup basil, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, and 1 egg. Mix until well combined.
• Spray an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish with non-stick spray. Layer the bottom with eggplant slices.
• Directly on top of the eggplant slices, layer the zucchini slices, overlapping them slightly. Top with the feta-spinach mixture.
• Add another eggplant layer and another zucchini layer. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Add another zucchini layer or an eggplant layer. If you have leftover vegetables, saute or roast them to serve on the side.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the bechamel. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Mix in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute or until thickened and golden-brown. Slowly mix in the milk, whisking constantly until well-combined, smooth and thick. Mix in a pinch of nutmeg and a dash of salt and pepper.
• Pour the bechamel on top of the lasagna. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the bechamel begins to brown.
• As the lasagna cooks, combine the yellow tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a few small leaves of mint and basil, and a drizzle of olive oil in a small bowl. When lasagna is finished, remove from oven and sprinkle with the salad mixture and a bit of parmesan cheese. Let cool 10 minutes and serve.

ROASTED MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE LASAGNE

Steps:

• Prepare the aubergine and courgettes ahead of time by cutting them into 1 inch (2.5 cm) dice, leaving the skins on. Then toss the dice in about a level dessertspoon of salt and pack them into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave them on one side for an hour so that some of the bitter juices drain out. After that, squeeze out any juices left, and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth. Now arrange the tomatoes, aubergine, courgettes, peppers and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the chopped garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating, and season with salt and pepper. You can also watch how to prepare garlic, how to chop onions and how to skin tomatoes in our Cookery School Videos on this page. Now place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges. Meanwhile make the sauce by placing all the ingredients (except the cheese) in a small saucepan and whisking continuously over a medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens. Then turn the heat down to its lowest and let the sauce cook for 2 minutes. Now add the grated Parmesan. When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and stir in the chopped olives and the capers. Turn the oven down to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). Now, into the baking dish pour one quarter of the sauce, followed by one third of the vegetable mixture. Then sprinkle in a third of the Mozzarella and follow this with a single layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat this process, ending up with a final layer of sauce and a good sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Now place the dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden. All this needs is a plain lettuce salad with a lemony dressing as an accompaniment.

MEDITERRANEAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Use a mandolin to thinly slice, about an 1/8th inch thick, the zucchini and eggplant into long strips. Line two half sheet trays with paper towel and lay the strips of vegetables over the lined sheet trays. Evenly sprinkle the salt over the vegetables and then top them with another sheet of paper towel. Continue to layer the vegetables and paper towels in single layers until all the vegetables are covered. Let the vegetables stand while you prep the rest of the ingredients, at least 30 minutes; the vegetables will let off their excess moisture.
• Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Lay the lasagna noodles on a sheet tray in an even layer. Carefully pour the hot, salted water over the noodles. Let the noodles soak for 20 minutes to soften.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook about 6-8 minutes or until softened and the excess liquid has evaporated from the pan. Season with salt. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute or until fragrant. Next add the spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. Season the mixture again with salt to taste once the spinach has completely wilted and excess liquid has cooked off. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool.
• To a large bowl combine the ricotta, lemon zest, spinach and mushroom mixture, parsley, basil, dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Season the ricotta mixture with salt to taste.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top the sauce with 4 lasagna noodles. Evenly spread one third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Next, shingle half of the eggplant slices over the ricotta and press down on the eggplant firmly to ensure the layers are even. Spread another 3/4 cup of sauce over the eggplant followed by half of the zucchini. Again, press down on the zucchini to keep the layers even. Spread another third of the ricotta over the zucchini, followed by four more noodles and another 3/4 cup tomato sauce. Shingle the remaining eggplant over the sauce and press firmly down on the eggplant. Spread the remaining ricotta over the top, the last four noodles and another 3/4 cup tomato sauce. Shingle the zucchini over the top of the lasagna and sprinkle the top with shaved parmesan.
• Place the lasagna in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbling on the sides and the cheese is beginning to brown on top. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
• Nutrition Info Per Serving.
• Calories: 361.
• Total Fat: 15 grams.
• Saturated Fat: 7 grams.
• Total Carbohydrate: 40 grams.
• Sugars: 12 grams.
• Protein: 6 grams.
• Sodium: 886 milligrams.
• Cholesterol: 34 milligrams.
• Fiber: 6 gram.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGGIE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add red onion, green onion, garlic and celery.
• Saute until onion is translucent and celery starts to soften.
• Add other veggies, one by one, stirring before adding the next.
• Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring once.
• Uncover and cook til vegetables are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes longer.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat.
• Whisk in flour.
• Whisk 2 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in milk.
• Cook until mixture comes to a boil, whisking often.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon 1 cup of sauce over bottom of your lasagna pan.
• Arrange 5 lasagna noodles atop sauce, overlapping slightly.
• Spoon half of vegetables over noodles.
• Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over veggies.
• Sprinkle 1/3 of your cheese over sauce.
• Repeat each layer once.
• Top with the last 5 lasagna noodles.
• Spoon remaining sauce over noodles.
• Top with remaining cheese.
• This is where you would refrigerate for later use, just cover tightly.
• Bake Lasagna uncovered on center rack until sauce is bubbling, about 40 minutes, 55 minutes if previously chilled.
• Remove from oven and allow to stand for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing.