This Lazy Late Summer Veggie Lasagna is the perfect way to bring summer to an end. With all of my favorite late summer veggies…zucchini, tomatoes, sweet corn & spinach…along with mushrooms, onions & peppers, all bathed in a creamy, cheesy sauce with broken noodles & thick, rich ricotta, it really is the perfect kind of dish to say farewell to long summer days as we head into autumn.
Lazy Late Summer Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons olive oil-divided
- 1 lpound lasagna noodles broken into 3-4″ pieces
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 5 ounces container baby spinach chopped
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes halved—reserve a few to garnish
- 3 ears corn removed from cob
- 1 red yellow or orange pepper, thinly sliced
- Fresh rosemary—chopped plus a few whole sprigs for garnish
- Pinch nutmeg
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- 4 Tablespoon flour
- 3-4 cups milk
Method
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a 9x 13 pan & spread to coat. Set aside.
- Break lasagna noodles then cook according to package directions. When done, toss with 1 tbsp olive oil & set aside.
- In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil with garlic and spinach. Cook until spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and mix into ricotta with the egg and 1⁄4 cup of each cheese. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- In the same pan, add remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and veggies. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until veggies start to soften. Add 4 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp flour, then stir until butter melts. Slowly stir in 3-4 cups of milk, stirring constantly until thick and starts to bubble. Stir in rosemary.
- Gently toss cooked pasta with the veggie sauce. Place half of the pasta mixture into the prepared pan, then top with half of the ricotta mixture. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Top with half of remaining cheeses.
- Top with remaining pasta and veggie mixture, then drop remaining ricotta on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 425°F, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil & top with tomatoes if desired. Continue to bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes, checking periodically so that it’s not overcooked. When done, remove from oven & allow to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.
- Slice and garnish as desired.
Notes
A vegetable peeler is perfect for slicing the zucchini into long, thins strips! (it works for onions, too!)