Vegetarian Lasagna: Not for the Faint of Heart

The vegetarian lasagna I make is more vegetable and less tomato and cheese. I guess one could say it's comparable to a vegetable terrine. Each layer of lasanga is moist and packed with the goodness of grilled vegetables, but not a sopping mess of cheese and tomato sauce. I present the best recipe for vegetarian lasanga: big on taste, low in calories. Caution, this dish is labour intensive. I got out of work early and felt like spending more time in the kitchen.

Pan Griddled Vegetable Lasagna
Preparation time: 1.5 hours
Cooking time: 30 -45 minutes at 220 C

1/2 bag of prewashed baby spinach, about 75 g; lightly steamed in microwave
1 small jar of chargrilled red capsicums (preserved in oil), drained and rinsed with water
600 grams of zucchini
1 pkg of firm tofu, crumbled
650 g of tomato puree
500 g eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp oregano
5 tbs soy milk
1 tsp garlic salt
50 g Vegetarian Edam cheese, grated
4 sheets of ready-to-bake pasta sheets
salt and pepper, for seasoning
non-stick cooking spray

1. Begin by slicing the ends and tops off of the eggplant and peeling the skins off. Once peeled, slice the eggplant into thin slices. In a colander, place a layer of eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Continue to layer the eggplant sprinkling with salt each time until all of the eggplant is used. Set aside and place over a bowl or in the sink to drain for 15-20 minutes.

2. Empty the chargrilled red capsicum into a colander and rinse under cool water until all of the oils have washed away. Set aside.

3. Remove the ends from the zucchini and with a potato peeler, make ribbons of zucchini as thick as the peeler will permit. Discard the first ribbon and the last ribbon, which will be mostly peel. Place ribbons in a bowl and lightly season with salt and pepper.

4. Coat a fry pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. When heated arrange a layer of zucchini ribbons in the pan and flip over when edges begin to brown slightly. When all the ribbons have been pan roasted, set aside.

5. Place the colander of eggplant under running water to remove salt and shake to remove excess water. With an absorbant tea towel or paper towels blot the excess water from each slice by placing a slice in between paper towels or in a tea towel folded over. Repeat the same cooking steps for the eggplant that were followed for the zucchini ribbons and set asside.

6. Crumble the tofu with your fingers into a food processor or blender, then add the oregano, garlic salt and soy milk. Process until a thick paste resembling ricotta cheese has formed.

7. Once all the ingredients have been prepared, the assembling can take place! Lightly coat a rectangular baking dish about 17 cm x 26 cm with cooking spray and cover the bottom with a thin layer of tomato puree. Place a lasange sheet in the centre and spread a layer of tofu around the sheet as best as possible. Next, create a layer of zucchini by arranging the ribbons all in the same direction. Season with salt and pepper and arrange a layer of steamed spinach making sure that the ribbons are completely covered. Arrange a layer of eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and place a lasanga sheet in the centre of that layer. Cover with tomato puree and repeat layering process until only 1 lasanga sheet remains.

8. Place last lasanga sheet in dish and use the last of the tomato puree to completely cover the lasanga sheet as much of the puree with be absorbed during the cooking process. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, cover with foil and place into a 220 C oven for 30 - 45 minutes until bubbly.

9. Allow the lasanga to sit and cool for 10 minutes after baking to make the slicing process easier. Enjoy.

I've recently starting writing down the amounts of ingredients I use while I cook, just in case I want to eat it again and have it taste the same...or share it with others. Once I make this recipe again I'll know it's fit for the archives.