DISH UP: Vegetable Lasagna

This golden-crusted vegetable lasagna features creamy béchamel sauce, flavour-packed pesto, and lots of seasonal veggies.

Serves 6

Preparation: 30 minutes; Oven: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Oven-Ready Lasagna, industrial or frozen (gluten-free is also available) – for 3 layers approximately 12 lasagna sheets
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, diced
• 2 scallion, diced
• ¼ cup white onion, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, leaves cut finely and save the stems
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 large zucchini, remove the heart and dice
• 2 – 3 cups mushrooms, assorted or your choice, washed and sliced
• 1 cup frozen peas, or fresh if available
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Dash or two of red pepper flakes (as desired)

1. In a larger skillet with a cover combine the olive oil with the garlic, scallion, onion and chopped parsley stems. Saute for a few minutes. Then add the carrots allow them to cook a few minutes before adding the zucchini. Incorporate the mushrooms. You may add some salt and pepper at this time.
2. Let simmer for a few minutes and then finally incorporate the peas. Add some of the parsley leaves at this time. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Cover and let simmer slowly.

Béchamel or White Sauce

• 2-1/2 cups milk, hot
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp. of nutmeg, or freshly grated nutmeg to taste

1. Heat milk.
2. In the meantime, in a small saucepan, melt butter using medium heat, as soon as it is melted add the flour and using a heatproof rubber spatula or a wooden spoon stir quickly cooking for approximately 4 minutes until it takes form and leaves the sides of the pan.
3. Turn off the heat and quickly, but carefully, incorporate the hot milk into the flour batter using a wire whisk. This tool helps to eliminate any lumps.
4. Place back on a medium-low heat and keep stirring until it becomes a smooth and slightly thickened cream.
5. Turn off the heat and add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Assembling the Lasagna

• 1 Tbsp. Pesto, can be store bought or homemade
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Romano cheese, grated
• 8 – 10 ounces of hard Mozzarella, grated — or smoked Mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prepare an ovenproof glass or ceramic dish, approximately 9″ x 13″ with a non-stick cooking spray.
2. Add the béchamel sauce and the pesto to the vegetables. Stir gently. Be prepared to make three layers so you will need between 3 and 4 lasagna sheets per layer.
3. Add the vegetable sauce to the bottom of the dish and layer first with lasagna sheets, followed by another layer of sauce, and followed by the two cheeses. Cover the sheets evenly with sauce, but do remember there will be four layers of sauce.
4. Repeat until you have completed the three layers of lasagna. Then cover with aluminum foil.
5. Place in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 350 F and uncover the lasagna. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the cheese on the top becomes golden.