vegetable lasagna

• servings: MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Ingredients

1% Ib sliced eggplant (about 1 large or 2 medium)

1¼ Ib sliced zucchini (about 3 medium)

Salt as needed

Freshly ground black pepper as needed

⅓ cup olive oil, or as needed

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms

12 cups sliced white mushrooms

¼ tsp garlic powder, or to taste 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

12 dry lasagna noodles

2 cups Tomato Sauce (page 165)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Peel, salt, and rinse the eggplant if desired (see note on page I3). Season the eggplant and zucchini well with salt and pep-per. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the sliced eggplant and zucchini and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 1o minutes.Repeat, adding more oil to the pan as necessary, until all of the eggplant and zucchini is prepared. Set aside.

2. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté until the moisture they release has cooked away; add I teaspoon pepper, the garlic powder, and half the Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, blend the ricotta, eggs, and parsley until smooth. Keep refrigerated until needed.

4. When you are ready to begin assembling the lasagna, put the lasagna noodles into a deep pan containing warm salted water and let them soften for about to minutes.

5. To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce, followed by a layer of lasagna noodles, then half of the ricotta mixture, followed by a layer of zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with half of the remaining Parmesan and then half of the mozzarella. Repeat the same sequence of sauce, noodles, ricotta, vegetables, and cheese until the pan is filled. End with a layer of noodles. Press down on the lasagna gently to press out any pockets of air. Cover the noodles with enough tomato sauce to keep them from drying out as the lasagna bakes. If the lasagna is prepared ahead, you can stop at this point, cover the pan carefully and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.)

6. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cover the lasagna pan with foil and bake until the lasagna noodles are fully cooked, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the foil, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella to cover top, and continue to bake until the cheese has melted and is slightly browned, is to 20 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve on heated plates.