Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna! This is the best vegetarian lasagna ever! So much flavor and so delicious! You’ve got to try this!
We’re heading into a new school year and so you might be stocking up on the make-ahead recipes and getting your meal prep routine down to a science. I don’t know about you but I have to plan in advance. If I don’t, it just creates more work for me and me scrambling around at the last minute for dinner . . which I don’t enjoy doing.
Recently America’s Test Kitchen sent me the Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook and it could not have come at a better time. I flipped through the book and immediately knew I wanted to try this Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna first!
I love that this recipe uses roasted zucchini and eggplant and it can be made ahead and/or you can bake it and freeze the leftovers! This would be great to make and enjoy now while you have all that summer zucchini and eggplant!
I couldn’t believe how flavorful this lasagna was. . if you love zucchini and eggplant, you must try this recipe!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This is what I LOVE about recipes from America’s Test Kitchen. You know the recipe has been tested over and over again and made all different kinds of ways in order to find the best recipe for us! And I’ve been cooking from America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks for some time now and there has never been a recipe fail.
From the Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook:
“Vegetable lasagna recipes are often filled with watery, tasteless vegetables and weighed down by excess cheese. We wanted a flavorful vegetable lasagna that didn’t fall into any of the usual traps. Eggplant and zucchini are easy to prep, making them excellent choices.
Roasting the vegetables not only drove of excess liquid that would otherwise water down the sauce, but it also caramelized the vegetables, adding savory depth. Ricotta cheese is traditional in lasagna, but we found that it muted the roasted vegetable favor, so we layered our lasagna with only mozzarella and Parmesan, which lent plenty of rich cheese favor and gooey texture. No-boil noodles made quick work of the assembly. Be sure to grease the baking sheets before spreading the vegetables so they don’t stick during roasting.”
I actually could not find no-boil noodles at my grocery store, so I used regular lasagna noodles that I cooked in advance. After cooking, I always drizzle them with olive oil to ensure the lasagna sheets don’t stick together.
Make Ahead
Lasagna, prepared through step 3, can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours • To bake, cover with greased aluminum foil and bake on foil-lined sheet in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, for about 45 minutes; remove foil, and continue to bake until cheese is golden, for about 10 minutes.
Watch Me on America’s Test Kitchen’s Insta-story Today!
I’ll be showing you exactly how to make this Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna on ATK’s Instagram story today, should be posted around 12 noon EST. Also, I’m giving away TWO cookbooks on my Instagram page, so head over and ENTER! Good Luck!
Even my meat loving husband devoured this. . I hope you guys give this recipe a try! It’s so good!!!
Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1½ pounds zucchini cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1½ pounds eggplant cut into ½-inch pieces
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 9 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
For the lasagna:
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 12 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese shredded (3 cups)
- 4 ounces Parmesan cheese grated (2 cups)
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss zucchini and eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil, two-thirds of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread vegetables in 2 greased rimmed baking sheets and bake, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, for 35 to 45 minutes; set aside.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic and cook until
- fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with their juice, bring to simmer, and cook until favors meld, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. (You should have about 7 cups sauce.)
FOR THE LASAGNA:
- Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Lay 3 noodles in dish, spread one-quarter of vegetables over noodles, then top with 1 cup sauce, 2⁄3 cup mozzarella, and 1⁄2 cup Parmesan (in that order). Repeat layering process 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles, remaining vegetables, remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup mozzarella, and remaining 1⁄2 cup Parmesan.
- Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil, place on foil lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, and continue to bake until spotty brown and bubbling around edges, for about 30 to 35 minutes. Let lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe published here with permission from America’s Test Kitchen.
Comfort food to the max!! Love this addition of veggies here!
LOVE all the veggies in this lasagna Alice! Zucchini and eggplant are two of my summer favorites!
I seriously need that book. This lasagna looks incredible, love the fact that it’s healthy too!
I adore lasagna and I would love to dive right into this one!!
I love their cookbooks and this is why! What a gorgeous lasagna.
Omg this is BRILLIANT. OK where’s my boyfriend he needs to make this for me stat.
Looks awesome. can’t wait to try it. ; )
I love this vegetarian take on lasagna – absolute perfection!
I admit I’ve never EATEN a lasagna and if I make one, it will be thisss!!!
You need to try this recipe!
Lasagna, I haven’t made it in forever. Love how it gets better the next day. I’m really into this recipe Alice, so few ingredients! Good week my friend!
Do you really mean a full teaspoon of pepper?
Yes! But feel free to use however much you like! This recipe is from the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook!
I made this two weeks ago and it was so good I’m now making it for our larger family vacation! Has anyone tried freezing it once it’s together, and then cooking from there after thawing?
Hi Dawn! I have not but that should be fine but I would bake from frozen (don’t thaw), and you’ll want to bake for longer since it will be frozen. Bake until cooked through. Let me know how it goes!
I’ve never really cooked with eggplant before. Do you peel it first? What is the best to cut it up for this recipe? Lengthwise in thin layers, or in chunks? Thank you.
Hi Geri! No need to peel, I like to leave the peel on. I just chopped them into small cubes. I think that’s the easier way to go, especially since you are roasting them. I really hope you make this! This lasagna is delicious! one of the BEST!
Your family is lucky to have such good food everyday, I want it right now!
Hi Alice,
I read the recipe several times, and although i’ve been known to misunderstand
recipes, or misread them at least,
I couldn’t find a heat for the oven and roasting the zucchini and eggplant
maybe it’s there somewhere
Hi! 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. “Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss zucchini and eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil, two-thirds of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread vegetables in 2 greased rimmed baking sheets and bake, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, for 35 to 45 minutes; set aside.”