Celebrate National Lasagna Day with Three New Recipes
Today, July 29th, is one of our favorite holidays – National Lasagna Day! What better way to celebrate a day dedicated to our favorite warm and cheesy dish than by trying out three delicious lasagna recipes, filled with healthy veggies and unique flavor.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs. plum tomatoes, sliced into ¼” slices
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil for oiling pans
- 2 Tbsp./scant ½ oz. chopped garlic
- ¼ cup fresh thyme leaves, divided
- 16 oz. part-skim ricotta
- 16 oz. non-fat ricotta
- 1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 2 tsp. grated garlic
- 12 oz. grated part-skim mozzarella, divided
- 2 lbs. mixed yellow squash and zucchini
- 9 sheets oven-ready lasagna noodles
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place tomato slices on a lightly oiled parchment-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with chopped garlic and half of the thyme leaves. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes have cooked down and are no longer very watery and the garlic is starting to brown. Reserve.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, rosemary, grated garlic, remaining thyme and 8 oz. of the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve.
- Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Slice the yellow squash and zucchini into thin ribbons using a mandolin, vegetable peeler, or a chef’s knife. Toss with some of the vegetable oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Grill the squashes in batches about 1 minute per side. Reserve.
- To assemble the lasagna, lightly oil the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan. Line the pan with ¼ of the zucchini and yellow squash. Top with 3 sheets of the lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3of the reserved ricotta mixture across the pan. Place 1/3 of the tomatoes over the ricotta. Repeat two more times. Top the tomatoes with one more layer of the remaining zucchini and yellow squash and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.*
- Place in the oven and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.
Vegetable and Herb Lasagna
- 1 large or 2 medium eggplant (about 2 lbs.), sliced crosswise into ½” slices
- Vegetable oil, for brushing
- 4 medium zucchini (about 2 lbs.), sliced into ¼” slices
- 1 head radicchio (about 10 oz.). sliced
- 12 oz. lasagna
- 1 (32 oz.) container part-skim ricotta
- ¼ cup/1 1/8 oz. finely chopped garlic
- 2 Tbsp. fresh oregano
- ¾ cup/¾ oz. sliced basil leaves
- 3 cups/24 oz. tomato sauce or 1 (23.8 oz.) jar prepared low-sodium tomato sauce
- 4 oz. finely grated Parmigiano
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the eggplant on a large baking sheet. Brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the zucchini on a large baking sheet and do the same.
- Place the radicchio on a baking sheet and toss with a small amount of vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Place vegetables in the oven and cook until softened and brown (20- 30 minutes), flipping halfway through cooking.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna according to package directions. Drain on a damp towel to prevent sticking. Reserve.
- Stir together the ricotta, garlic, thyme, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
- To assemble the lasagna, place 1/3 of the lasagna across the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan. Top with half of the ricotta mixture. Strew half of the vegetables over the ricotta. Repeat to create another layer. Top with the remaining third lasagna. Pour the tomato sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with cheese.*
- Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Lasagna Verde
- 4 oz. lasagna noodles (about 8 sheets or enough for 2 layers)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 lbs. spinach, well-washed
- 32 oz. part-skim ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp./½ oz. garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 1 tsp. lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
- ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
- 2 cups/10 oz. frozen peas
- 2 cups/8 oz. asparagus, cut in ½” pieces
- ½ cup/2 oz. grated Parmigiano
- 8 oz. mozzarella, grated, divided
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, toss with olive oil, and reserve.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the spinach in a large pan over medium heat. If spinach is still wet, simply cover pan and wilt. If it’s dry, add ¼ cup water to the pan, cover, and wilt. Drain spinach. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop it and squeeze out excess liquid.
- Place spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, eggs, garlic, zest, nutmeg, peas, asparagus, Parmigiano and half of the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place half the noodles along the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan. Top with half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.
- Strew remaining mozzarella over the top. Place in the oven and cook until heated through (about 30 minutes).