Not The Knowing One

Veggie Layer:
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
4 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1 bunch spinach, removed from stems

Cheese Layer:
1 large container part skim ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup fresh chopped basal
2 tbs fresh chopped oregano
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper

6-9 Whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 jar tomato sauce (a little more wouldn’t hurt if it’s laying around)
1 cup shredded mozzarella

In a heavy pan, heat olive oil to medium high. Add sliced onions and turn to coat them in the oil. Cover. Turn frequently to prevent burning. Remove any onions that burn. Add oil if the pan becomes dry. Allow to cook, covered, until onions become a deep caramel color and reduce drastically in volume. When onions have reached the desired color, add a few tbs of water, beer, or white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits.  Cover and let cook for 1-2 minutes until the liquid has reabsorbed.  Remove onions to a medium mixing bowl.   Add mushrooms until cooked. Add minced garlic to soften, the add both to the bowl with the onions. . Add spinach to the cooking pot and turn until wilted, then add them to the vegetable mixture.  Make sure all vegetables are mixed together. (Adding kosher salt to this layer will make it watery. DON’T DO IT!)

In a large mixing bowl combine cheeses, beaten egg, and seasonings.

In a casserole pan: Spread about ½ cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place three lasagna noodles (un-cooked) lengthwise in the sauce. Top with a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of cheese, then a layer of vegetables. Top with 3 more noodles. Repeat layering until you’ve run out of ingredients. I usually get 3 layers. Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, covered. Uncover and cook until until cheese bubbles and begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

Note: I find that this is much better if you actually take the time to caramelize the onions. In an extreme time crunch though, you could just cook 1 onion until translucent. It won’t suck.

Tags: Food, lasagna, recipe

This entry was posted on May 30, 2008 at 8:02 pm and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.