Grilled Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Fresh summer vegetables layered with noodles and lots of cheese

We've been grilling a ton of vegetables this summer to use in tacos, grain bowls, and as simple side dishes. I love the variety of fresh produce available at our market this time of year when everything is in season and at its peak. This lasagna showcases some of my favorite summer vegetables - eggplant, squash, greens, and carrots - and layers them between tender noodles and lots of cheese. The recipe, which I adapted from Food52, calls for a few steps: grilling the vegetables, making a homemade tomato sauce, creating the ricotta filling, and soaking the noodles before assembly, which makes it a project to dedicate a couple of hours to on a weekend. That said, the results are worth the effort and the lasagna will feed a boatload of hungry people. My husband and I ate this for almost a week straight before it was finished and the leftovers taste even better than the original!


Related Recipes:
- Grilled Eggplant & Ricotta Roll-Ups
- Mushroom & Lamb Bolognese Lasagna
- Homemade Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli


Grilled Summer Vegetable Lasagna:
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 28 oz. crushed canned tomatoes
- 14 oz. canned tomato puree
- 1 egg
- 3 large or 4 medium zucchini or summer squash, cut in half lengthwise
- 1-2 large Japanese eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
- 4 c. baby spinach or arugula or other similar green
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 bunch medium carrots, cut into coins
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 c. white wine
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- kosher salt
- black pepper

Recipe
Tomato Sauce

• In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and add in the onion and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until starting to soften and brown.
• Add in the white wine and let it reduce by half, then add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, 1/2 tbsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, then let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

Ricotta Filling

• Add the greens and a splash of water to a microwaveable container and microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until wilted. Wrap in a kitchen towel to squeeze out as much water as you can and roughly chop.
• Combine the greens with the ricotta, parmesan, egg, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.

Grill Vegetables

• Heat a grill or grill pan to high.
• Brush the squash and eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then dice.

Assemble Lasagna

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Fill a large bowl with hot water and add in some of the lasagna noodles (don't add too many at a time or they will stick together).
• Add a layer of tomato sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish.
• Add a layer of noodles that have soaked for a minute in the hot water, overlapping them slightly in the pan and adding more noodles to soak in the water as you go.
• Add 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, then half of the grilled zucchini. 
• Add another layer of sauce, noodles, and ricotta and then all of the eggplant.
• Repeat with another layer of sauce, noodles, ricotta, and zucchini.
• For your final layer, add more sauce, noodles, sauce, and then cover the entire top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle with parmesan.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Serves ten-fourteen