Vegetable and Creamy Ricotta Lasagne

Meat-free  - and a flexible recipe that works either as tonight’s dinner (with great leftovers!) or - can be prepared in advance for entertaining and is easily portable for times when you need to bring ‘something’.  The flavours mean this dish works perfectly as the main course -  but it can also be used as a side accompaniment to many meat dishes, especially with an Italian flavour base.

No Béchamel Sauce needed – the creaminess comes from the ricotta. Measurements for this lasagne dish are a guide only and will depend on the size dish you wish to serve.  The choice of vegies is up to you -  If you are not a fan of sweet potato leave it out and add more pumpkin – easy.

Because this uses fresh lasagne sheets it requires less cooking and not as much liquid as when you use the dried sheets.  My tip is to have some saved pumpkin and sweet potato that has been roasted from an earlier meal on standby in the fridge (so handy for so many weekday meals).

Serves:              4 – 6 depending on the size of your baking dish.

Preparation:    30 - 45 minutes

Baking Time:   30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients – please note these are approx. amount for baking dish 30 cm x 25cm x6 cm deep

If you find you have bits left over - just make up a second smaller dish with the odds and ends and bake ready for lunch during the week.

2 medium eggplants – cut into 1 cm discs then lightly brushed with a little olive oil

1 butternut pumpkin – cut into ¼ chunk then peel and cut into thin slices

1 sweet potato – peeled and cut into thin slices

Olive Oil - to coat the baking dish and prepare vegetables

Baby spinach leaves – approx. 350 – 500 gram

Mushrooms – Portabello or Swiss Browns preferably.  About 4 – 5 handfuls

½ red capsicum – finely diced

1 red chilli – deseeded and finely diced  - leave out if you are not a Chilli fan

2 cloves garlic – crushed - optional

Lots of fresh basil leaves – approx. 1 cup or a bit more

Herbs – about a tablespoon -  your choice of chopped up  - small sprig rosemary, oregano,  thyme leaves, parsley

Pepper to taste

1 large tin crushed tomatoes – approx. 800 gram

2 tablespoons red wine  (optional)

300 – 400 gram fresh Ricotta.  Best from a deli or supermarket deli.  Not the tub.

A small amount crumbled fetta – Optional.  Adds a deeper, saltier tang.

Fresh lasagne sheets.  The supermarket refrigerated brand is fine

Grated mozzarella cheese – enough to sprinkle over top

A little freshly grated parmesan cheese – just to sprinkle over the top

A few extra herbs chopped to sprinkle over the top

Method

Preheat oven to 180 o C

There are a couple of ways of doing this lasagne –

If you precook/steam/grill most of your vegies it cuts down on baking time.

If using from raw, remember they will give off moisture during baking and require longer to cook.

The precook method.  

Steam the sweet potato and pumpkin. Drain off some of the moisture but allow it to be moist.

Lightly grill eggplant rounds and allow to rest whilst preparing rest of veg.

Gently fry off the capsicum, chilli, garlic, mushrooms and add spinach at the end.  Retain the juices as they are packed with flavour.

Mix the tomatoes, herbs and red wine.

Assemble your lasagne.

Don’t worry too much about the sequence of layers – you just need some layers of veg, lasagne sheets and then enough tomato mix to moisten and then cover with crumbled ricotta to give a creamy layer. Always finish with enough tomato mix to ensure the top is moist and then cover with the remaining ricotta and finally sprinkle over the mozzarella and parmesan which will give a golden cheesy crust to the entire dish.

Place a layer of fresh lasagne sheets in the base of well oiled dish.

Cover with a layer of some of the eggplant

Spread over with some of the sweet potato / pumpkin

A layer of basil leaves

Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets

Spoon over enough tomato mix to cover

Crumble over some of the ricotta and a little fetta

Spread with a little of the mushroom, spinach mix and basil leaves

Another lasagne sheet layer

More tomato mix and ricotta crumbled over

Another layer of eggplant then More pumpkin, more mushrooms then

Final layer of Lasagne sheets

Now gently push down to remove air and ensure all layers are bathed in tomato.

Cover with Tomato mix and ricotta cheese.

Sprinkle over the grated mozzarella then parmesan and herbs.

Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes if vegies have been precooked.  Or about 40 minutes if raw.

Lasagne is cooked when golden, hot and you can insert a knife and there is no resistance from raw veggies.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting – will be easier to serve.

If you find the top is starting to brown too quickly cover loosely with some gladbake and alfoil.

If top is not golden enough after dish has been cooked pop it under the grill and crisp up.  Stay with your grill!!

Serve with your choice of green salad or green vegetables.

                                                         Enjoy!   Colleen