Living in Spain after school activities get pushed back late in the day. My son Max plays tennis three times a week between 6-9 pm, so it gets very late to eat dinner afterwards! My latest favourite meal of the season is lasagna, since it can be ready and warm in the oven and we can have dinner the minute he gets home. I've been gradually adding more and more vegetables to my lasagna and I now have my wonderful 100% vegetarian lasagna. Although I have two carnivorous, teenage boys, there are no complaints about the lack of meat in this dish. While I am not on a mission to convert my family into vegetarians, I do think that eating less meat is healthy and good for us and the planet. So I am making a gradual shift in the balance of our food choices.
Food looks great on black plates, this plate is from the new Wave tableware collection I designed for Big Arrow.
Spicy Vegetarian lasagna
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 large zucchini
6-8 button mushrooms
2 cups of cottage cheese (in Spain I make my own or use mató)
1 package pre-cooked lasagna noodles
1 cup grated cheese, mozzarella or similar
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 can tomato sauce (tomate frito is a cooked tomato purée I buy in Spain)
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, tarragon, sage, thyme and basil to taste
Dice the garlic and onion together and sauté in a large pan with some olive oil.
Dice the zucchini and mushrooms and add them to the pan, stirring and mixing them together.
I have a mini mixer that dices my vegetables into tiny pieces instantly, but there are many kitchen tools that can chop. I also sometimes add other vegetables that I have on hand like cauliflower, eggplant, or spinach...The main thing is to create a thick and spicy sauce with the vegetables you prefer.
Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and herbs.
Add the cottage cheese, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and let simmer for 10-15 minutes while the oven preheats to 180° C.
In a large glass rectangular oven dish or other casserole dish, make a layer of the sauce, then place a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Repeat this layering with sauce and noodles 3 times. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the top layer.
Bake in the oven for half an hour.
Serve hot.
Wave plate with vials s+p shakers in the background. Available on Etsy: http://etsy.me/2f3W1Ah