Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna is considered a very simple peasant dish that Italian grandmothers prepared amidst all their chores and without much fuss. Despite the existence of various modern recipes where everything is cooked or stewed according to specific procedures, the basic preparation of lasagna simply involves layering pasta sheets with any filling and then baking it all in the oven. The dish is usually made with meat, but now, with an abundance of seasonal vegetables, it would be almost a sin not to make a wonderful meatless lasagna. The recipe is simple and quick, and the preparation of the filling depends on what you have in your fridge or garden.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 30 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 65 minutes
  • Difficulty: 1
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

Béchamel sauce

  • 1 spoon Butter, unsalted

  • 3 spoons Wheat flour, white, multi-purpose

  • 7 dl Milk, whole milk

  • pieces Salt, table

  • 1 teaspoon Spices, nutmeg, ground

  • 1 piece Egg, fresh

  • 500 g Pasta, Macaroni

  • 200 g Cheese, Parmesan, grated

  • 200 g Cheese, mozzarella

  • pieces Oil, olive

  • 1 can Tomato, pieces - can

  • pieces Salt, table

  • pieces Bell pepper, green, fresh

  • pieces Green, raw

  • pieces Basil, fresh

Steps

  1. Clean all the vegetables and cut them into cubes or strips. You don’t need to be particularly precise here.

  2. Pour oil into a large pan and when it’s slightly heated, add the chopped vegetables. Sauté until the vegetables soften and become tender. Add a can of peeled tomatoes and pour in a deciliter of water, as the sauce should be juicy. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly.

  3. While the vegetable sauce is cooking, prepare the béchamel. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pot and add flour to the heated fat. Cook until the flour slightly browns. Gradually pour in milk, season with salt and pepper, and add a teaspoon of nutmeg. Mix well with a whisk to ensure the sauce is smooth. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat, add one egg, and mix everything well. The sauce should remain quite thin.

  4. In a baking dish (approximately 20 x 30 centimeters), first add two ladles of béchamel and spread it evenly to cover the bottom. Place lasagna sheets on top of the béchamel, trimming them if necessary to fit the size of the dish. Do not pre-cook the sheets, as the thinner béchamel and juicy sauce will allow them to absorb all the juices during baking, resulting in more flavor.

  5. Spread some béchamel over the sheets, then add a few spoonfuls of the vegetable sauce. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and crumble mozzarella on top. Repeat the process until all the ingredients are used up.

  6. The top layer should be lasagna sheets, generously coated with béchamel and sprinkled with Parmesan and mozzarella. Don’t worry if it looks like everything is 'floating' in the sauce and the lasagna appears too 'wet.' The pasta sheets will absorb the excess liquid during baking. Once the lasagna is assembled, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. While waiting for the oven to heat up, the pasta sheets will already absorb some of the liquid.

  7. Bake the lasagna in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Once baked, let it rest in the dish for 15 minutes, then cut the lasagna into pieces and serve it garnished with chunks of mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and basil leaves.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 265.92 kcal
  • Fat: 8.68 g
    • Saturated Fat: 4.87 g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.47 g
    • Sugars: 0.85 g
  • Protein: 14.11 g
  • Fiber: 1.34 g

Advice

If possible, buy fresh lasagna sheets. You can find them in the refrigerated section of some well-stocked stores. The vegetable sauce can be made with just one type of vegetable or using whatever you have on hand.