Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

 

~ Roasted Vegetable Lasagna ~
Eat your lasagna and have your vegetables too. Roasted strips of eggplant, zucchini and red peppers alternate with lasagna sheets in this veggie-enhanced family favorite. No worries, there’s plenty of gooey melted cheese and tomato sauce rippling through this version, the most adamant veggie haters (we won’t point fingers) will be hard pressed to complain.
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Serves  6
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large red bell peppers, halved, stemmed and seeded
2 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick
3 medium zuccinini, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick
16 ounces whole milk ricotta
1 large egg
2 to 3 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 box lasagna sheets (you won’t use all of them)
Fresh basil leaves
Prepare sauce:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion; saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 2 cloves garlic and red chili flakes; saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, oregano, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Roast vegetables:
Heat oven broiler. Place peppers, cut-side down, in a baking dish. Broil peppers until skin is blistered all over. Transfer to a bowl and cover. Let stand 10 minutes, then peel away skin. Slice peppers in 1/2-inch strips.
Generously oil a rimmed baking sheet. Lay eggplant slices in one layer on sheet, turning to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until golden and tender, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with zucchini slices.
Ricotta:
Whisk ricotta, egg, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 cup Pecorino, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl.
Assemble lasagna:
Heat oven to 350° F (180° C). Spoon a thin layer of sauce in bottom of 8 x 10-inch baking dish or gratin. Place a layer of lasagna sheets over the sauce, breaking them to fit to size as necessary. Smear ricotta over pasta. Arrange eggplant slices over the ricotta. Spoon a little sauce over the eggplant. Sprinkle with Pecorino and scatter some of the mozzarella over. Place another lasagna sheet over the eggplant. Repeat the layering process, substituting the zucchini for the eggplant. Repeat again with the red peppers. Top with the last layer of lasagna pasta. Smear with ricotta. Top with any remaining vegetables. Spoon sauce over and around the vegetables. Sprinkle with a final layer of Pecorino and mozzarella.
Bake in oven until thoroughly cooked through and cheese is bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm with basil sprinkled over.
http://tastefoodblog.com/2013/03/28/roasted-vegetable-lasagna-recipe/