Vegetable Lasagna
This is a great way to get some veggies into your kids. They may not notice all the greens while they enjoy the yummy noodles, cheese and sauce. Eliminate the pancetta if you want to keep it vegetarian. If not then it is great way to infuse some great flavor without adding a lot of meat.
- 9 to 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup pancetta, chopped (eliminate if making vegetarian)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 10 ounces Shiitaki mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups mixed greens (I used a combination of kale, green cabbage, red cabbage & Brussels sprouts), shredded
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 cups fresh tomato sauce, preferable homemade
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the lasagna noodles until they are soft and pliable, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the pasta and lay flat on a sheet tray to cool.
Add olive oil and pancetta to a large frying pan. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the greens and cook for another 5 minutes until they are wilted. Check for seasonings and turn heat off and let cool.
In a small bowl, add the ricotta, garlic, parsley, salt, egg, and ½ cup of cheese. Mix well and keep aside.
In the bottom of a 8 by 8 baking dish, add a half cup of sauce. Spread evenly. Arrange three to four noodles to completely cover the sauce. Spread ½ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Add ½ of the mushroom mixture and spread evenly. Repeat with noodles, sauce, ricotta and mixture. Finally add the last batch of noodles and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano and all of mozzarella on top. Cover with foil. Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in oven for an hour 15 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
