Lasagna: it’s one of those recipes that got left behind in our mothers’ cookbooks. So I tried a revamped vegetable-take on the meat-and-cheese dish, which left friends with a look of complete (comedic) befuddlement. They watched me lay out all the ingredients, eyebrows raised in suspicion. “That’s all it takes to make lasagna? WHY HAVE I NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE?”
Bring this back and you’ll never have to do plain pasta and sauce again.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: approx. 1 hour
Servings: A very generous 8
2 zucchinis
3 crowns of broccoli
1 8 oz package of frozen spinach
1 16 oz box of lasagna noodles (I’m a Ronzoni girl)
1 15 oz jar of tomato sauce
Photo by Lauren Reilly
1. Set the scene: Set the oven to 350°F. Spray a 8″x5″ casserole dish with PAM. (Chef’s note: Any size casserole dish will work, but I recommend either using two dishes or only using half the recipe at a time. The pans turn into wonderful makeshift tupperware containers.)
2. Lay the (pasta) foundation: following the instructions on the box, boil your lasagna noodles for the recommended six minutes. (I happen to break my noodles in half to make them fit into my pot. It turns my pan into an edible game of tetris.) Set aside.
3. Ready the actors: After washing off your vegetables, chop your two zucchini and broccoli crowns into small to medium-sized chunks. Mix them together in the same bowl.
4. Warm ups: Unwrap the spinach from its container and place it in the microwave for one-minute intervals until you can break it apart with your hands.
5. Layer up: Place one layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of your pan, followed by a layer of tomato sauce, then enough of the zucchini-broccoli mixture to cover the noodles. Top your vegetables with a generous dose of spinach. Add another layer or tomato sauce.
Photo by Lauren Reilly
6. Get into the groove: repeat the layering process until you reach the top of the pan. (Notice there’s no cheese? You can add to taste; it’ll help everything adhere together.)
Photo by Lauren Reilly
7. Place pan in the oven for 40 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling.
8. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy!