Photo: Martha Stewart
My first night in my new apartment in Chicago was, as you might expect, a little bit strange.
I had lived in my previous apartment just outside of New York City for two years and even though it never felt quite like home, I took comfort in my faded, plaid sofas and the hum of my upstairs neighbor’s washing machine over my bathroom.
I moved to Chicago the day after Thanksgiving, which followed a week full of packing, wrapping up loose ends and not a lot of sleeping.
By the time I the truck was unloaded (thanks Dad!) I was about ready to collapse onto my naked box spring.
Instead, my dad, who played quite the instrumental role in moving me and my truck full o’stuff out to the Midwest, wanted us to go out to dinner with his old friend Mark and family.
He insisted I would love them and I did, despite initial fear that I wouldn’t make it past the first course before I nodded off into someone’s caprese salad.
As soon as we got to the restaurant, a cozy and charming Italian spot called Rose Angelis (2019 note: which has sadly since closed) with the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, I did regret the fact that I had even thought of resisting dinner due to fatigue.
Walking past the open kitchen, you could smell the onions, the roasting garlic and I knew I would like this city. We ate warm, crackly-crusted Italian bread and drank wine while I ordered lasagne baked with herbed ricotta, pine nuts, fresh mozzarella and marinara sauce.
Lasagne is something I never, ever order in restaurants because a) few restaurants make it well and b) it’s so cheese-and-calorie laden that I don’t see the point in eating it if it isn’t really freaking good.
Since that meal, I haven’t had lasagne so when I decided to make it the other night I thought to lighten it up a little bit: add some roasted vegetables for taste, bulk and fiber and substitute part-skim cheese to cut down on some of the saturated fat.
Don’t let the long ingredient list deter you. It’s time consuming (not so work-night friendly, unless you work from home) but each step is easy and requires minimal skill.
- 14 plum tomatoes (about 3 pounds total), halved lengthwise
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced inch thick
- 3 bunches (about 2½ pounds total) spinach, trimmed and washed
- 1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- 9 to 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (from a 9-ounce package)
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, oregano, and two-thirds the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush another rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange squash in one layer; season with salt and pepper. Roast squash until tender, about 20 minutes, and tomatoes until slightly shriveled, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. In a blender, puree 20 tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add remaining garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually add 2 pounds spinach and toss until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer spinach to a strainer and press to release liquid. When cool, chop spinach and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, ¼ cup Parmesan, egg, and nutmeg until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread one-quarter the tomato sauce in dish, top with 3 to 4 noodles, breaking to fit as needed. Top with half the ricotta mixture, half the squash, one-quarter the tomato sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining ricotta mixture, the rest of the squash, cooked spinach, one-quarter the sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining sauce, ½ pound mozzarella, and cup Parmesan.
- Set rack in middle of oven. Bake lasagna on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let lasagna cool 15 minutes before serving.
18 Comments
Moore Ronni
March 14, 2019 at 9:06 pmJust found this recipe..need it for lent. It looks delicious,BUT, IT ONLY USES HALF THE SQUASH..WHERE’S THE REST?
Also, where do the remainder of the tomatoes go?
Maris Callahan
March 15, 2019 at 8:05 pmI updated the recipe – – the rest of the squash goes onto the second layer of the lasagna. Enjoy!
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July 16, 2011 at 12:01 pm[…] wilted bunch of basil before you can get around to making pesto or tossing two-thirds of a lasagne because you can’t stand the sight of it […]
Molly
February 7, 2010 at 12:30 pmGoodness this looks good! I love veggie lasagna. Who needs all that heavy meat when you’ve got great fresh veggies? Thanks for sharing!
Peter
February 4, 2010 at 11:57 amIt’s big honkin’ lasagna’s like these that make one forget about meat…just for the day.
Great looking blog, good food!
Rebecca_C
February 2, 2010 at 1:35 pmWow…this sounds really good. My veggie lasagna has a white sauce so its the opposite of light despite being chock full of veggies. This version seems like a nice alternative. And I’m loving the addition of squash!
Chrissy
January 31, 2010 at 6:29 pmThis looks delicious. I too am a big lasagne fan, but never order it in restaurants and, as such, end up eating it maybe once or twice a year. (Including Christmas. In our family, lasange and beef tenderloin are Christmas staples.) I imagine it was a pretty comforting first meal after such a big move. Hope all is well in Chicago!
Sarah Caron
January 31, 2010 at 1:00 pmOh, that sounds amazing. I haven’t had roasted veggies in lasagna before, but I bet I would love it.
bodelou
January 29, 2010 at 1:06 pmi am a huge lover of lasagne. and like you i am particular about my consumption of it in restaurants. in fact, i just blogged about this a week or so ago and posted my family recipe.
this chicago weather is truly lasagne weather.
Heidi Renée
January 29, 2010 at 11:11 amI loooove lasagna but I hardly ever make it. Maybe I’ll fire one up this weekend!
Jessica
January 28, 2010 at 10:03 pmWow this looks REALLY good. I might need you to help me know how to cut squash but I might try this. the picture is great.
Megan
January 28, 2010 at 12:35 pmMaris – this looks fabulous! I don’t think I’ve ever added roasted veggies to my lasagna. Thanks for the idea!
Lexi
January 28, 2010 at 11:25 amYum! I recently made lasagna and the boy loved it. I had never tried it, as I always heard how difficult it was, but it wasn’t, at all!
kat
January 28, 2010 at 10:22 amI agree homemade lasagna is really the best & so worth the effort
mandy
January 28, 2010 at 9:01 amI hadn’t had lasagna in ages so I made some on Sunday. Homemade is alway, alaways better. Its something that I very rarely order out as well. Yours sounds delicious!
So Spiffy
January 28, 2010 at 7:26 amWhat’s not to love about Lasagne.. all ways…Yum
Daryl Callahan
January 28, 2010 at 7:19 amMy goodness that looks good. Great combination of vegetables and when I come visit we ARE going to that restaurant!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
January 28, 2010 at 6:31 amWhat do you do with the leftover tomato halves? It would be great to stick those into one of the lasagne layers.