The Pajama Chef

Poor, poor husband. My poor meat-lovin’ husband has been subjected to meatless recipe after meatless recipe. Last week, I think Ben only got meat for dinner once… and he had to make it himself. See, the more I run as I’m training for this marathon, the more I crave vegetables. [And funfetti frosting and brownies, but that’s another story.]

The good news though, is all these veggie cravings have resulted in some pretty good meals, like this one. I am not one to like mushy, cooked vegetables, which is why I chose to roast sweet bell peppers, savory mushrooms, and luscious, juicy tomatoes. Roasting these veggies adds another level of flavor and texture to this creamy, cheesy lasagna. It’s filling but not heavy, and bakes up bubbly and brown. A perfect dish for a cold Friday night–and a great way to carb-load on the night before an 18 mile run. Or, y’know, do whatever normal folks do on their Saturday mornings.

P.S. And if you’re worried about Ben and his lack of meat, I bought him a big hunk ‘o pork and cooked it in the crock pot yesterday. Recipe to come. For now, enjoy this veggie-friendly dish!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna [based off of these recipes from Cooking Light and For the Love of Cooking and my mom’s]

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers, diced [I used red, yellow, and orange]
• 4 roma tomatoes, quartered
• 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic [keep the skins on for roasting]
• black pepper
• salt
• dried basil
• nutmeg
• 16 ounces fat free cottage cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano + additional for roasting
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups fat free half and half, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 8 ounces Italian cheese blend [I used Sargento’s]
• 3 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
• olive oil
• cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, then spread peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms in a single layer. Place the garlic cloves in one corner, for easy access after they are roasted. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and season as desired with black pepper, a little bit of salt, basil, and oregano. Toss gently to coat. Bake for 20 degrees, flip, and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Let cool.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together flour and half and half. Cook until thickened, about 7-9 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in a pinch of nutmeg and a generous amount of black pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.

When vegetables are cool enough to handle, crush tomatoes and cut into bite size pieces. Then, peel skin off garlic cloves and dice. Return vegetables to pan and stir together.

Finally, in a medium bowl, stir together cottage cheese, eggs, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a 9×13 casserole dish, layer a 1/3 of the white sauce, 1/3 of the vegetables, 3 noodles, 2 ounces Italian cheese, and 1 ounce Parmesan cheese. Repeat twice, then top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle basil on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes, then turn on broiler and bake for another 2-3 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Click here for the printable version: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna