My childhood memories are void of canned vegetables. An excellent case in point is Thanksgiving of 2003. Bryant and I were dating and he was unable to go home because he had been scheduled to work Thanksgiving Day. In good girlfriend fashion I decided to prepare our own Thanksgiving dinner due to the fact that he wouldn’t get off work until 7:30 or so in the evening. When I inquired about his favorite Thanksgiving foods he listed apple pie and creamed corn. I made an excellent apple pie, but had never heard of creamed corn. After mounting a massive recipe search I came across what appeared to be a tasty recipe for this elusive vegetable dish. Thanksgiving dinner was a success and Bryant raved about the creamed corn, asking me what brand I had used. Brand? I didn’t know what he was talking about. I’d made it from scratch. It then dawned on me that creamed corn came in a can. He hasn’t eaten creamed corn from a can since.
But this is about a good vegetable in a can, by far the best canned tomatoes I’ve ever eaten. I recommend buying crushed tomatoes as they texture is more interesting than that of a puree but does not contain definable chunks of tomatoes. The brand I recommend is Bionaturae Organic Crushed Tomatoes, and through your purchase you too can rediscover the Precious Tuscan Tomato.
This lasagna can be made with or without meat. It is adapted from a recipe found in the August 2008 issue of Cooking Light. I’ve made it both ways and will include the variations.
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
A note on eggplant: do not buy eggplant at the grocery store. Do yourself a favor and go get it at the farmer’s market. The flavor is without comparison. Buy a couple extra to make a roasted eggplant puree to go with your flatbread.
¾ tsp salt, divided
2 tsp olive oil
¾ c chopped onion
OPTIONAL: ¾ ground beef (grass fed, not from a feed lot! I lived in Nebraska, I know of what I write.)
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ tsp chopped fresh oregano (buy it fresh, it matters for this recipe!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 c fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 c part-skim ricotta cheese
Cooking Spray
1 8-ounce package lasagna noodles, cooked according to directions
2 medium zucchini, or combination zucchini and crook-neck squash, cut into ¼-inch slices
2 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese (I recommend whole milk, more fat, more flavor)
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with ½ tsp salt; let stand 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan, sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. OPTIONAL: add ground beef and stir until cooked through. Add remaining ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, oregano, crushed red pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine basil, ricotta, and remaining ½ tsp black pepper in a small bowl. Spread ½ c tomato mixture onto the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3-4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini. Spread ricotta mixture over vegetables; cover with 3-4 noodles. Spread 1 c tomato mixture over noodles and layer with remaining eggplant and zucchini slices. Arrange remaining 3-4 noodles over vegetables, spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles, and top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes.
You will have enough ingredients leftover to make this another night, especially if you buy the average 16 ounce package of lasagna noodles and 16 ounce container of ricotta cheese, just be sure to pick up an extra can of tomatoes. Simply buy more vegetables and meat the next week and use up the fresh oregano and basil.
But this is about a good vegetable in a can, by far the best canned tomatoes I’ve ever eaten. I recommend buying crushed tomatoes as they texture is more interesting than that of a puree but does not contain definable chunks of tomatoes. The brand I recommend is Bionaturae Organic Crushed Tomatoes, and through your purchase you too can rediscover the Precious Tuscan Tomato.
This lasagna can be made with or without meat. It is adapted from a recipe found in the August 2008 issue of Cooking Light. I’ve made it both ways and will include the variations.
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
A note on eggplant: do not buy eggplant at the grocery store. Do yourself a favor and go get it at the farmer’s market. The flavor is without comparison. Buy a couple extra to make a roasted eggplant puree to go with your flatbread.
¾ tsp salt, divided
2 tsp olive oil
¾ c chopped onion
OPTIONAL: ¾ ground beef (grass fed, not from a feed lot! I lived in Nebraska, I know of what I write.)
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ tsp chopped fresh oregano (buy it fresh, it matters for this recipe!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 c fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 c part-skim ricotta cheese
Cooking Spray
1 8-ounce package lasagna noodles, cooked according to directions
2 medium zucchini, or combination zucchini and crook-neck squash, cut into ¼-inch slices
2 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese (I recommend whole milk, more fat, more flavor)
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with ½ tsp salt; let stand 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan, sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. OPTIONAL: add ground beef and stir until cooked through. Add remaining ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, oregano, crushed red pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine basil, ricotta, and remaining ½ tsp black pepper in a small bowl. Spread ½ c tomato mixture onto the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3-4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini. Spread ricotta mixture over vegetables; cover with 3-4 noodles. Spread 1 c tomato mixture over noodles and layer with remaining eggplant and zucchini slices. Arrange remaining 3-4 noodles over vegetables, spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles, and top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes.
You will have enough ingredients leftover to make this another night, especially if you buy the average 16 ounce package of lasagna noodles and 16 ounce container of ricotta cheese, just be sure to pick up an extra can of tomatoes. Simply buy more vegetables and meat the next week and use up the fresh oregano and basil.
No comments:
Post a Comment