Grilled Vegetable Lasagna With Ricotta-Tomato Sauce
Give this make-ahead lasagna a try—it's packed with so many veggies that you won't even need a side salad.
Ingredients
For ricotta-tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (8 oz)
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 5 large sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 c. dry white wine
- 3 1/2 lb. ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-in. pieces (about 13)
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 c. whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 3/4 c. fresh basil, coarsely chopped
For grilled vegetables
- 1 medium eggplant (about 11/4 lbs), sliced lengthwise into 1/4-in.-thick slabs
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 medium zucchini (about 11/4 lbs), sliced lengthwise into 1/4-in.-thick slabs
- 2 red peppers, seeded and quartered
For assembly
- 12 dried lasagna noodles (about 12 oz; not no-boil)
- 1 lb. whole-milk mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 4 cups)
Instructions
- Make sauce: Heat oil in large, heavy saucepan on medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, 6 minutes. Stir in thyme, bay leaves, oregano and red pepper flakes; cook 2 minutes.
- Add wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are very tender and have broken down to form a chunky sauce, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare vegetables: Lay eggplant slices on baking sheet, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and let stand until salt begins to draw out moisture from eggplant, about 20 minutes. Rinse eggplant under cold running water, drain well, place on dry baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Heat outdoor grill to medium-high.
- In small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables on baking sheet. Brush both sides of vegetables with 1/4 cup balsamic mixture. Brush remaining balsamic mixture over both sides of eggplant slices.
- Grill vegetables, in batches, until just tender and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on vegetable. Return vegetables to baking sheets as they are cooked and let cool. Halve red peppers. (Alternatively, roast vegetables on rimmed baking sheets in 450°F oven, in batches as necessary, 15 minutes for peppers and 8 to 10 minutes for zucchini and eggplant.)
- When sauce is done, remove from heat, then discard bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in ricotta. Transfer half of sauce to blender and puree, then stir back into sauce in pan. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Assemble lasagna: Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of shallow 2 1/2-qt (13- by 9-inch) baking dish. Lay 4 uncooked lasagna noodles over sauce, breaking to fit (don’t worry if there’s space around noodles, as they will expand as they cook). Lay one-third of grilled vegetables over noodles, then spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over vegetables and sprinkle one-third of mozzarella over sauce. Repeat layering of noodles, vegetables, sauce and mozzarella one more time. Top with remaining 4 noodles, then spread with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Arrange remaining vegetables on top. Spoon remaining sauce over vegetables.
- Cover baking dish with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, until lasagna is golden brown on top, 30 to 35 minutes more. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 20gFat: 21.5gSaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 565mgFiber: 6g
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