Takes about 45 minutes to prepare this delicious summer lasagne. I love it!!! Also you just need a few ingredients you probably already have in your fridge.
Lasagne is a dish made of alternating layers of pasta, cheese, sauce, and meat or like in this case - vegetables. Lasagna is believed to have originated in Italy. The word lasagna in the past referred only to the cooking pot in which the dish was cooked rather than the food itself but after centuries it moved to the dish itself. Another recipe with no meat, so perfect option for vegetarians.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the pasta layers: 9 dried lasagne sheets or a dough made from 3 glasses of flour, 4 eggs, mineral water, 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 spring onions - sliced
- 3-6 cloves of garlic - sliced
- 800 g - 1 kg courgette - coarsley grated
- 500 g ricotta chees
- 250 g cheddar cheese - coarsley grated
- 500 g tomato sauce with capers and basil
- 50 g parmesan cheese for topping
- sea salt & freshly ground black and white pepper
Method:
1. If you decide to use lasagne sheets, then boil a large pot of water and put a bit of salt in it for getting more flavor out of your pasta. Remember to add a few drops of olive oil so the sheets will not stick together. Keep cooking al dente for 5 minutes. Rinse the sheets in cold water and immediately drizzle with a bit of olive oil so the sheets will not stick together.
2. If you want to prepare your own pasta, do the following: mix flour, eggs, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Keep kneading the dough adding a bit of sparkling mineral water to obtain a smooth and consistent dough. Sparkling water is my trick - it makes the dough even softer. At the end, the dough cannot be neither too sticky nor too dry. Form a ball with the dough and wrap it in the transparent foil. Leave it in the fridge for about 60 minutes. Afterwards, roll out the dough and create 3 flat lasagne sheets either with your hands or with help of pasta machine. Leave the sheets aside to dry a bit. If you don't have a pasta machine, divide the pasta dough into 3 smaller balls and, with the help of a marble rolling-pin, roll them on a well floured smooth board. After, cook for 5-6 minutes in a boiling water with a bit of salt and olive oil. Then rinse the sheets in cold water and immediately drizzle with a bit of olive oil so the sheets will not stick together
3. In the meantime heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the spring onion mixed wit sliced garlic for about 3 minutes.
4. Add courgette to the onion and continue to fry, stirring from time to time until courgette softenes and turns light green.
5. Add 2/3 of both ricotta and cheddar cheese. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. In a large baking dish, put first lasagne sheet made from the dough or three smaller lasagne sheets you just cooked. Now put on lasagne sheets tomato sauce and then courgette mix, Cover all with another layer of lasagne sheets, tomato sauce and courgette mix. On the top of courgette put tomato sauce again and cover with the top layer of lasagne sheets.
7. Spread remaining ricotta on the top of lasagne and scatter with the rest of cheddar. Season with parmesan cheese at the end.
8. Bake your lasagne on the top shelf of the pre-heated oven to 220 C for 20 minutes or until the pasta turns tender and the cheese is golden.
9. After lasagne is ready, leave it for a few minutes outside of the oven to rest a bit before serving.
ENJOY!!!
