This may very well be the Best Lasagne recipe in the world.
It's a big call, I know, but I can back this statement up. I served it to my
friend whose favourite dish in the whole world is lasagne and she declared
it "the best lasagne I have ever eaten."
OK, so it wasn't the biggest sample size ever. Perhaps one person can't
really be said to be speaking for the population of the whole planet.
But still. It was a great reaction and a lovely compliment.
And you know what? I think she could be right.
I love regular lasagne with the alternating layers of Bolognese
and bechamel
sauce. I've also made a vegetarian lasagne before with five different
vegetable layers -- mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, capsicum, and pumpkin -- that was pretty amazing.
But I think this vegetarian
lasagne is the best.
This recipe is an adaption of an adaption of a recipe devised by my sister
in law's clever friend. Everyone who has ever eaten it demands the recipe.
Eat it and weep. And rejoice.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6-8
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic finely diced
- 2 zucchinis, grated
- 2 x 250 grams pack frozen chopped spinach
- 200g feta cheese
- 500g ricotta cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 x 500ml tall jars Pasta sauce (choose roasted vegetable or Napoli falvour)
- 1 x 250 grams shredded pizza cheese (cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella)
- 1 – 1.5 packet lasagne sheets
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Heat up a large frying pan.
- Add some olive oil and then cook garlic and onion for 2 minutes (approx.), stirring constantly.
- Add grated zucchini cook for further 6-8 min, stirring occasionally, until soft
- Cook spinach in microwave until just defrosted (depending whether spinach is in pieces or solid block, about 3-6 mins, check the packet for instructions)
- In a large bowl, mix the feta, ricotta, zucchini mixture, and spinach together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Taste and then season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Construct lasagne in a dish by adding 1/3 jar of pasta sauce, and spreading evenly over the dish (an offset spatula is perfect.
- Then cover the past sauce with lasagne sheets, then cheese and vegetable mixture, more pasta sauce and a sprinkle of grated cheese.
- Keep layering until you reach the top of the dish.
- You should end with a layer of pasta sauce and then the grated cheeses on top.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Check it’s cooked by sticking a knife in the middle to see if the pasta is soft.