What I’m Reading
Jul
29
After riding my bike down to the local farmer’s market the other day I was giving myself a mental pat on the back for being so earth-friendly and buying locally. I didn’t burn any fossil fuels to get there! I didn’t have to run over fifteen college students to find a parking spot! I’m supporting the hard working farmers of my area! Am totally awesome! I locked my bike up and strode right into the throngs of people already there. Then the familiar panic started to creep in as I realized I had no idea how to choose from the multitude of different stalls, each selling very similar products. I had no real idea of what I even wanted, no real agenda or menu in mind, so I found myself wandering around aimlessly. Finally I just decided to buy a few things that looked really amazing and make whatever I could using those ingredients.
Ha! Oh, ha ha ha. Am dumb.
Don’t get me wrong, I got tons of great looking veggies. Red scallions, beautiful bright yellow summer squash, carrots so fresh they still had the tops and moist soil clinging to them. Once I got them all home I looked admiringly at my purchases and then threw them in the fridge to forget about them until they rotted or withered up to a husk of their former glorious selves. Then Chris had the brilliant idea to make a vegetable lasagna. I knew I kept him around for a reason!
I started by dicing up all the vegetables into manageable chunks. I actually cored out the green squash so that I could make delicious squash patties out of them later on, but the rest of them got tossed into the bowl together.
See? I told you they were pretty.
All together now! I also threw in some basil, rosemary, flat Italian parsley, kosher salt, crushed red pepper, and garlic and all that went into my giant wok to be roasted with some olive oil.
While the veggies were cooking I combined a small container (1 lb) of skim ricotta, about a cup of parmesan, a pinch of salt, one egg, and another handful of chopped parsley. Confession time: I totally just made up that recipe. Out of my head. I sure hope it comes out okay!
Second confession: I used the no-boil noodles. They’re so easy! I just layered down some sauce, then noodles, then the ricotta mixture. More noodles! MUST HAVE MORE NOODLES.
After adding more noodles I precariously balanced the heavy tray of lasagna on the edge of the counter to layer on more sauce and the roasted vegetables while singing Aerosmith’s Livin’ On The Edge. You wish I were kidding. Hmm. Do carrots belong in a lasagna? I have no idea, but these veggies smell heavenly so I don’t care. See how I am totally making this up as I go along? Recipes be damned!
After layering on even more noodles and sauce I realized I hadn’t grated any of the cheese. Very easily remedied! I shredded some super soft mozzarella, some Asiago, and some parmesan and threw them on top of my completely made up lasagna. 375 degrees later I popped that bad boy in the oven. Keep your fingers crossed!
Oh, and while I was waiting for my lasagna to cook I decided I had already made a gigantic mess, why not add to it? With the guts of the green squash I made these delicious squash patties and ate a couple of them right there with some pita bread. Even if the lasagna comes out terrible I will always have the memory of these delicious bites of heaven.
Then the timer goes off and- wait for it- the verdict is in. Magic!
Oh mah gawd, y’all, that looks deeevine. And Chris, being awesome, roasted up some garlic for us to have with the artisan bread from Whole Paycheck Foods.
A meal fit for a king. Well, a king and a queen. Or a librarian and a tech guy. WHATEVER, JUST GIVE ME SOME.
There. That’s better.
Was the recipe easy to follow?
Made up recipes usually are.
Did the dish taste good?
Chris said it was the best vegetable lasagna he’s ever had, and the boy comes from a large Italian family. That’s some high praise right there.
Would you make it again?
Hells yeah. My only worry is it might not come out the same, since I didn’t exactly write down every ingredient. But that’s half the fun, right?
NPW’s Totally Made Up Lasagna
Roasted vegetable ingredients
2 medium koosa (green) squash
1 large yellow summer squash
1 small bunch carrots
1 small bunch red or green scallions (I’m sure onions would work just as well)
rosemary, basil, kosher salt, red pepper to taste
Throw together in a hot pan with some olive oil and cook till vegetables are tender and a little browned.
Ricotta ingredients
1 small container (1 lb) ricotta cheese (I used skim, you can use whatever you deem worthy)
1/2 – 1 cup parmesan
handful of chopped flat Italian parsley
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large egg
Mix everything together until blended.
Grated mozzarella, asiago, and parmesan
1 large jar of Newman’s Own Sockarooni Sauce
1 1/2 packages of no-boil lasagna noodles
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat the bottom of a pan with a thin layer of sauce. Lay out a layer of noodles. On top of the noodles, layer on the ricotta mixture. Another layer of noodles, a little more sauce, layer on the vegetables. Even more noodles, lots of sauce on the top, and a layer of mozzarella or whatever cheese you like on top. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Comments
29 Responses to “Whip It Up #4: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna”
Leave a Reply
Oooh, this looks wonderful. I might have to check out the farmers’ market this weekend and whip something like this up!
Wow, this looks so awesome! Way to get creative. I might have to try this out one day.
I am so HUNGRY. And yet the Vicodin won’t let me eat. This is torture! TORTURE!
I love veggie lasagna and yours looks fantastic! I’m still in envy of the ravioli too.
I knew you had that cooking gene in you, ok now bring that tray over here we are hungry!
Wow! That looks SO good!!!!
Looks very good! I wish there was a farmers market near me damn it!!
That Chris just gets more and more useful all the time, doesn’t he? Sidenote: For some reason, almost every time I type “Chris” in your comments, it comes out “Christ” and I have to delete the “t.” Maybe there’s a reason for that continual typo: the dude is magical, obviously.
Also, can I just tell you how impressed I am that you MADE UP YOUR OWN LASAGNA RECIPE?? Because I totally am. You have some serious skillz, lady.
I am so impressed that you made up this entire thing on your own! I have no skeelz like that at all.
And I have to ask, is a one-pound container of ricotta a small container? Holy geez.
Wow! I am seriously impressed. That looks AMAZING!
That looks so incredibly tasty. I love love vegetable lasagna.
That looks absolutely fantastic! As in, I just ate a hearty breakfast and I’m still salivating thinking about your lasagna.
Wow that looks so yummy! I am surrounded by small, weekend only farmer’s markets here in Atlanta and I’ve never gone to any of them. I might have to get my butt up early on Saturday and go just so I can try out your completely made up lasagna recipe.
Um, how did I miss the fact that you were such a ridiculously good cook before? I think you should really be called a “chef,” because “cook” doesn’t do you justice. You are ridiculous.
Wow that looks really good!
Wow, impressed with your ability to impromptu cook. Nice work.
You’re crazy. I’ll be over in four hours.
When will my creative, make-it-up juices start flowing? I’m so jealous of all of the improvisational cooks roaming the WIU posts!
Delish!
Um. I just got back from lunch and now I’m starving again looking at these photos.
Whenever I try to deviate from a recipe, it does NOT turn out well. But yours looks delicious! I am so impressed with your chefing skills!
I do like food! Will you come cook for us sometime?
Oh my lord, now I want lasagna.
How awesome are you?
Which farmers market did you go to?
I live right by the brookline one, but I have never been.
I am always impressed when people can make up recipes on their own (I cannot, for the most part). So bravo to you – it looks delicious!
I feel the same way when visiting the farmer’s market, BTW.
Perhaps I will focus my “magic” on the task of transforming water into craft beer this evening.
If that doesn’t work it’s on to plan B… turning $15 into a twelve pack of craft beer.
I’m totally making that. Watch me!
Thanks for the inspiration!
How do you make squash patties? They look divine!
[...] a trip to the farmers’ market, Nancy Pearl Wannabe created a Vegetable Lasagna of her own devising, and it came out [...]
I second the request for the squash patty recipe. Also, I think I love saying, “squash patty.”