If you grow veggies you're sure to run into seasonal gluts of veggies popping out of your growing space. Here's an idea to craft a delicious vegetable lasagna from the overflow. The dish doesn't need actual lasagna pasta sheets, just veggies and saucy goodness. You can always add the pasta sheets, or change up the veggies I add to make it your own.
This recipe can either serve 8 people or you can divvy up and freeze leftovers from your effort. Here we go.
Veggies I used from the garden
It's currently late summer in South Africa (January 2024) so summer vegetables are coming in hot! Tomato, eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (baby marrow), cucumber, beans, green peppers.
I also have a supply of garlic from the last season - for this recipe I used garlic butter that I made recently in the béchamel (white sauce). Yum, yum, yum!
Step 1: Gather your ingredients
Grab a large oven proof dish (this can serve up to 8 people, so feel free to adjust, it's not an EXACT science):
Veggie layers:
3 medium zucchinis
2 large eggplants
olive oil to fry and get beautiful browned slices ove zucchini and eggplant
fresh basil
Parmesan (optional, but adds extra richness)
For the tomato sauce:
1 x 720ml bottle of passata sauce - I had to use this, you are welcome to blend fresh tomatoes together
1 large onion
1 large green pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Dried herbs like basil or oregano
White sauce:
4 cloves garlic chopped (add more if you like extra garlic goodness)
3 table spoons butter
Self raising flour (about 3 times the amount of butter)
1 litre full cream milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 table spoon of mustard
Dried basil or oregano or parsley (it's up to you, I used a hand full of dried basil)
Step 2: Prepare the veggies for the lasagna
I sliced everything about 4mm thick and salted both sides of each veggie to allow additional moisture to extract. Use a cooling rack to place them on for about 15min while the moisture extracts. Or use something that is not flat.
Wipe everything down well, let's be honest no one wants to waste a roll of paper towels, so use a clean dish towel for this. It will also remove the excess salt.
Heat up a frying pan and add layers of the sliced veggies at a time with olive oil on a nice high heat to achieve browning on each slice. It doesn't have to be cooked through because the assembled dish will bake in the oven, just try get brown edges for flavour.
Set aside on a plate as you fill, brown and empty. There will be a tiny bit of water, but things should not be soggy.
Step 3: The tomato sauce
Gently fry your chopped onion and green pepper in some olive oil.
Add in the whole bottle of passata, and turn down the heat to allow a soft simmer. You don't want hot bubbles popping onto you. I use a touch of water to shake anything left out of the bottle.
Allow to cook down into a thicker consistency for 10 - 15 min occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add your choice of dried herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
The consistency shouldn't be a paste, rather a thick sauce. Add a dash of water if it gets too thick, or slowly cook to thicken more.
Step 4: The White sauce
Melt butter over a low heat, gradually add and whisk in some flour and milk, little bits at a time. Keep whisking and keep adding milk gradually. P.s. if you end up with flour clots, whip you the old hand blender (works a charm).
Keep adding bits of milk as the sauce thickens. This takes about 10 - 15 min on a low heat. While you're whisking, add in salt, pepper, garlic and the mustard. Taste as you go. This sauce will encase everything.
Once it's a similar consistency as thick pouring custard, remove from the heat and stir in about 50 g of grated mozarella until it melts into the sauce. You can totally skip this and add some cheese on top of the dish before you bake it.
Step 5: Assemble
In your baking dish, add a layer of tomato sauce and spread evenly on the bottom. You want to divide your tomato sauce into 3 portions for the overall dish.
Layer the browned zucchini over the tomato sauce, creating an even layer. Season a little as you layer.
Add over an even layer of your white sauce.
Add a thinner layer of tomato sauce at this stage, leaving majority for the top layer;
and top with parmesan and fresh torn/ cut basil leaves.
Add your eggplant layer
Tomato sauce and white sauce as a final layer
Step 6: Bake
Place your assembled dish in a pre heated oven, baking from top and bottom.
It should bake at about 200 degrees celsius for 50 min - 1 hour. Remember, you started cooking the veggies when you browned them so it shouldn't take too long to warm through and cook fully if your slices and layers are consistent. A good indication is bubbling around the edges of the dish at the 30 min mark. Then I'd grill it to bake until the 45 min mark (or until browned to my liking). If you're dish isn't bubbling but seems dry, perhaps remove it to not dry it out. leave it covered with foil.
Remember to add your cheese now if you are adding more on top.
Step 7: Rest
Allow to rest for at least 15 min, unless you can handle piping hot food!
Step 8: Enjoy!
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