Lasagna with Oven-Roasted Vegetables

From Food&Wine Pasta cook book

Roasting gives vegetables so much flavor that no one will miss the meat in this vegetarian version of an old favorite. You can play with the vegetable combination to include those you like best.

Serves 6

1 red bell pepper, cut into ¾ inch squares

1 yellow bell pepper. Cut into ¾-inch squares

1 eggplant (about ¾ pound), cut into ¾-inch dice

2 zucchini (about ½ pound), cut into ¾ inch dice

2 yellow summer squash (about ½ pound), cut into ¾ inch dice1/2 pound Portobello or other mushrooms, cut into ¾ inch dice

2 shallots, unpeeled, halved lengthwise

1 sprig (I usually use more) fresh rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried

3 tablespoons olive oil

1-3/4 teaspoons salt

Fresh-ground black pepper

1-cup (about ½ pound) ricotta cheese

Pinch of nutmeg

1 egg

Egg pasta dough (3-egg quantity) or ¾ pound dry lasagna noodles (about 15 noodles)

5 cups Classic American-Style Tomato Sauce (in index, Double recipe)

 

  1. Heat the oven to 450 deg.  In a large roasting pan, combine the bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, shallots and rosemary. Toss with the olive oil, 1-1/4 teaspoons of the salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes
  2. Discard the rosemary sprig, if using. When the shallots are cool enough to handle, peel and chop them. Combine the chopped shallots, ricotta, and 1 cup of the mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, egg, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
  3. If using fresh pasta, roll out the dough to less than 1/16 inch thick, by hand or with a pasta machine. Cut into 4-by-8 inch rectangles.
  4. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna until almost tender but still slightly underdone, about 3 minutes for fresh pasta of 10 minutes for dry. Drain. Rinse with cold water and dry on paper towels.
  5. Heat the oven to 350deg. Oil a 9-by-13- inch baking dish. Spread about ½ cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish. Lay several sheets of the pasta, slightly overlapping, on the sauce. Dot with half the ricotta mixture. Spread half of the roasted vegetables on top of the cheese. Pour about 1 cup of sauce over the vegetables. Top the sauce with a second layer of pasta. Dot with the remaining ricotta mixture and cover with the remaining vegetables and about 1 cup of the sauce. Top the sauce with a final layer of pasta and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1-cup of mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
  6. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before cutting into squares.