VEGETABLE LASAGNA

LASAGNA

Everyone loves a good lasagna, right? Lasagne are a type of wide, flat pasta, possibly one of the oldest types of pasta. Lasagne, or the singular lasagna, is also an Italian dish made of stacked layers of this flat pasta alternating with fillings such as vegetables, cheese, and seasonings and spices such as garlic, oregano and basil. Layer the sauce with lasagna sheets and cheese, then bake until bubbly! This is great for feeding a big family, and freezes well, too.

How to make lasagna:

1. Start by making the sauce with crushed garlic, onions, and a combo of tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes. The three kinds of tomatoes gives the sauce great depth of flavor.
2. Prepare the vegetables in a pan. Use as many vegetables you like and whatever vegetables you like. There is almost no restrictions. I used red, yellow and green bell peppers, onions, broccoli and sweet corns.
3. Let this simmer while you make the lasagna sheets and get the cheeses ready. I used shredded mozzarella.
4. From there, it’s just an assembly job. A ladle of red sauce, a layer of lasagna sheets, vegetables, red sauce, white sauce followed by a layer of cheese. Repeat until you have three to four layers and have used up all the ingredients.
5. Bake until bubbly and you’re ready to eat!

This veggie lasagna is easy to make, made from scratch, and calls for simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

For red sauce

6 ripped red tomatoes
2 tsp oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small dried red chilli
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp tomato sauce

For white sauce:

2 tbsp Unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic minced

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cheese

For lasagna sheets:

1+1/2 cup Maida / Plain Flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Water as required to make soft dough

Dry flour for rolling and dusting the sheets

For vegetable filling:

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp garlic finely chopped

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Red Chili Flakes

1 small Onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced 

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/4 cup broccoli, tender

1/4 cup Corn, boiled

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Pepper powder

Recipe:

Red sauce:

1. Firstly, slit x on bottom of tomatoes.
2. Add tomatoes (slitted at bottom) along with dried red chilli into boiling water and blanch.
3. Cover the pan and boil for 3-4 minutes or till the skin starts to leave from tomatoes.
4. Further, peel the skin of tomatoes once they cooled completely.
5. Then take 4 peeled tomatoes and the red chilli and blend to smooth purees.
6. Chop other 2 tomatoes discarding the seeds.
7. Transfer to the plate and keep aside.
8. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped garlic. Sauté till they turn slightly golden brown.
9. Add chopped onions and sauté till they change colour. Then add chopped - deseeded tomatoes and cook completely.
10. Mash in between a little so that it turns mushy.
11. Also add prepared tomato puree (from 4 blanched tomatoes).
12. Mix well and add basil, chilli powder, oregano, chilli flakes and salt. Mix well and get the sauce to a boil.
13. Cover and simmer the sauce for atleast 5 minutes or till the sauce turns thick.
14. Then add tomato sauce and finally, mix well.
15. Pizza/pasta/lasagna sauce is ready.

White sauce:

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds before whisking in flour, pepper, salt and oregano. Whisk to combing well.
2. Slowly add milk, whisking until well combined. Continue whisking occasionally until desired thickness is reached.
3. Remove from heat, stir in cheese until smooth. 
4. Use immediately or cover and chill until ready to use.

Lasagna sheets:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine maida, salt and oil, mix everything and using little water at a time, knead to form soft dough.
2. Once done, divide the dough into 4 portions, cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes, the dough is ready to be rolled. Sprinkle some dry flour and take one portion of the dough and start to roll the dough using a rolling board and rolling pin.
4. Roll the dough into thin round shape sheets, almost to the size of the pan/bowl being used for the lasagna. Use dry flour as needed.
5. Once the sheets are rolled, heat it up on a tawa for 30 seconds on each side.
6. The put them in boiling water for about 10 seconds and then place them on the wire or cooling rack and allow it to dry for at least 30 minutes or until firm and translucent.

Vegetable filling:

1. In a pan, pour oil and heat the oil. Add chopped garlic, chili flakes and oregano. Cook for a minute or until the herbs infuse all the flavors into the oil.
2. Next add onion, all bell peppers, corn and broccoli. Stir fry all the veggies over high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables become slightly soft.
3. Add salt, black pepper and mix.
4. Once the vegetable leave moisture, again stir everything properly over medium flame for 3-4 minutes or until they are dry.
5. Once the vegetables are done, remove in a bowl and allow it to cool slightly.

Assembling:

1. Arrange the ingredients for the lasagna, grated cheese, marinara sauce, white sauce and the pasta sheet.
2. In the cooking pan, pour a ladle full of the marinara and spread it evenly. Place the pasta sheet and spread some more of the marinara sauce along with some white sauce.
3. Next add some vegetables followed by some grated cheese and some more white sauce.
4. Repeat the same steps and make two more layers. The final layer should consist little bit of both the sauces, vegetables and cheese.
5. Bake for around 30-40 minutes at 220C.

Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy and keep showering your love.