. All you need is a food processor and a rolling pin. Homemade lasagna noodles are easy because you don't have to cut them into fancy shapes. You just roll out the pasta to the size of your dish, place the pasta in the dish, and cut the edges off with a pizza cutter. You also don't need to pre-boil these noodles before layering them in your lasagna pan.
Lasagna is a great place to start making your own pasta. It's also a really inexpensive way to feed up to 8 people a delicious and comforting homemade meal. Here's an easy and healthy vegetarian recipe to get you rolling.
Vegetarian Lasagna with Whole Wheat Noodles and Roasted Vegetables (Makes 6-8 servings)
1 25 oz. jar marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's Organic Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce)
Lasagna Noodles:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large organic eggs
Water
Cheese Layer:
4 oz. fresh spinach
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups fat-free cottage cheese, or low-fat ricotta cheese* (I used one container)
1 large organic egg or egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
10-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Vegetable Layer:
1 sweet bell pepper (I used an orange pepper), cut into strips
1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Topping: 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
*I had always used ricotta in lasagnas before because it's more traditional, but cottage cheese is about half the price of ricotta cheese and has less fat and calories. Using ricotta will thicken the cheese layer, which is certainly not a bad thing.
Making Lasagna Noodles:
You can do this ahead of time and keep the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. The dough needs to rest before being rolled out, so it's actually better to do this in advance and then just assemble the lasagna before you want to bake it.
1. Put the flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor and pulse to combine.
Assembling the Lasagna:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a lasagna pan (a 9 x 13 pan or baking dish will work) with cooking spray. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
1. Place the chopped vegetables on the half sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare the cottage cheese mixture. Add the spinach and garlic to the blender and pulse a few times to chop.
3. Cut the pizza dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece out on a floured board until it is about 1/4-inch thick and approximately the same size as your lasagna dish. Set the noodles aside.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom of the lasagna pan to start.
Create 2 layers of the following:
Layer one lasagna noodle in the pan.
Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodle.
Break up half of the mozzarella slices and spread the pieces over the cheese mixture.
Layer half of the basil leaves and half of the roasted vegetables.
Spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce on the top.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the pasta is cooked through. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 6-8 pieces - 8 pieces was just about right when served with a green salad on the side.
Here are the nutrition facts for one slice of lasagna (like the one above), assuming you get 8 total servings.
| Nutrition Facts | ||||||
Serving Size 305 g | ||||||
Amount Per Serving | ||||||
Calories 284 Calories from Fat 70 | ||||||
% Daily Value* | ||||||
Total Fat 7.8g 12% | ||||||
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18% | ||||||
Cholesterol 92mg 31% | ||||||
Sodium 865mg 36% | ||||||
Total Carbohydrates 33.0g 11% | ||||||
Dietary Fiber 2.2g 9% | ||||||
Sugars 5.4g | ||||||
Protein 20.2g | ||||||
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