I made this veggie lasagne for my friend who just had a baby. She said it’s one of the best dinners I’ve made her! It’s simple, It’s satisfying and it doesn’t skimp on flavour! Roasted pumpkin cubes bring a natural sweetness, while the spinach and ricotta are blended into a creamy béchamel substitute and blobbed between the layers. The result is a well-balanced, hearty dish with just the right mix of texture and richness.
It has a few different components so might look daunting but its really easy! Even people scared of the kitchen will be able to SMASH this recipe. Enjoy, my planet-conscious chef friends.
It’s a great go-to for an easy weeknight dinner or something a bit more special without having to go to too much effort. Plus, it keeps really well so lunches are sorted!
Veggie Lasagne
Equipment
- Food processor optional
- Large oven safe dish
Ingredients
Veg
- 1 medium butternut squash pumpkin cubed
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 1 medium onions in eighths
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp Italian herbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 125 ml red wine
- 700 ml passata
- 400 grams tin tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Italian herbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar if it's bitter
Ricotta Blobs
- 500 grams ricotta cheese
- 250 grams spinach chopped aggressively
- 3 cloves garlic crushes
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated cheese your choice
- salt and pepper to taste
Other
- 1 packet lasagne sheets
- 1 jar roasted capsicums or, make your own!
- mozzarella cheese to top
Instructions
Veg
- Preheat oven to 200℃.
- Dice all of the veggies up, toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian herbs. Split between two oven trays lined with baking paper and bake until pumpkin is soft.
Tomato Sauce
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Fry onions and garlic until they are slightly brown.
- Add the tomato paste and fry it off for about a minute.
- Add the red wine, stir it so it's combined well with the onions and tomato paste. Cook down the wine, letting it simmer away until it's reduced.
- Add the passata, tinned tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste it and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.
Ricotta Blobs
- In your food processor (or in a trusty bowl with a wooden spoon), add all of the ingredients and mix them up until they're well combined.
Assembly
- Cover the bottom of your baking tray with lasagne sheets. Spoon a layer of veggies and some roasted capsicum followed by some of the tomato sauce over the top. Scoop blobs of the spinach and ricotta mix generously throughout your veggies. Top with some more tomato sauce and another layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat this process until you're all out of ingredients. Add a loving layer of cheese to the top.
- If you want to get really frisky, save some of the ricotta mixture and smooth it over the top of the final layer of lasagne sheets THEN top with cheese. I promise you will not regret it.
