Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

The vegetarian lasagne that doesn’t taste vegetarian.

Why you should cook this

The vegetarian lasagne that doesn’t taste vegetarian. Roasted pumpkin, capsicums and zucchini get a high-heat blast first to drive off water. Ricotta layer is mixed with egg, sage and parmesan. Bechamel is the proper one, butter and flour cooked into a roux, then milk whisked in slowly until it coats the back of a spoon. Layered eight ways high in a deep dish, parmesan and mozzarella on top, baked until the corners are deep brown and the cheese has gone the colour of a Tasmanian winter sun.

Roast the vegetables first. This is the only step that matters. Raw vegetables in lasagne release water during baking and you end up with a wet, sad puddle. Fifteen minutes at 220 fan with olive oil and oregano fixes everything. Use fresh lasagne sheets (Pasta Emilia, La Tortelliera, or a decent supermarket fresh sheet) and don’t pre-boil them. The bechamel cooks them. Rest the lasagne for fifteen minutes after the oven so it sets enough to slice. Open a Chianti Classico, not a Pinot Grigio.

What to drink with it

A medium-bodied Italian red (Chianti, Montepulciano), a Negroni Sbagliato, or a glass of viognier.

Notes from the kitchen

Roast the vegetables first. Don’t skip this step, raw veg in lasagne goes watery. Don’t pre-boil the pasta. Use fresh lasagne sheets and let them cook in the bechamel.

The recipe

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 serves

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

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Vegetables

• 800 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed
• 2 red capsicums, cut into strips
• 2 zucchini, sliced
• 60 mL olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Bechamel

• 100 g butter
• 100 g plain flour
• 1 L milk
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Ricotta layer

• 500 g fresh ricotta
• 1 egg
• 10 leaves fresh sage, finely chopped
• 50 g parmesan, grated

To assemble

• 12 sheets fresh lasagne pasta
• 100 g parmesan, grated, for the top
• 150 g mozzarella, grated

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan. Toss pumpkin, capsicum, zucchini with oil and oregano. Roast on a tray 25 minutes until tender. Cool slightly.
2. Bechamel: melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 1 min. Slowly add milk whisking. Simmer 5 min until thick. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper.
3. Ricotta layer: mix ricotta, egg, sage and parmesan in a bowl. Salt and pepper.
4. In a deep 22x32cm baking dish, spread a thin layer of bechamel. Top with pasta sheets.
5. Layer: half the roasted veg, third of the bechamel, pasta. Half the ricotta mix, pasta. Remaining veg, third bechamel, pasta. Remaining ricotta, pasta. Final bechamel.
6. Top with parmesan and mozzarella.
7. Bake 35-40 minutes until top is deep golden and edges are bubbling. Rest 15 minutes before cutting.

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