Grilled Vegetable Lasagna with Ricotta-Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 large sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups dry white wine
3 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup very coarsely chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), stem end trimmed, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch- thick slabs
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slabs
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, quartered
12 dried lasagna noodles, about 12 ounces
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
Directions
PREP TIME
HRS
MINS
COOKING TIME
HRS
MINS
Serves
Make-Ahead:
Heat a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the thyme, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook,stirring often, for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the wine, raise the heat to high, and boil for about 12 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes, or until the tomatoes are very tender and have broken down to form a chunky sauce.
Lay the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand for about 20 minutes, or until the salt begins to draw out moisture from the eggplant.
Rinse the eggplant under cold running water, then drain well. Place on a dry baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels.
Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high cooking over direct heat.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and olive oil together and season with salt and pepper. Lay the zucchini and bell peppers on a large rimmed baking sheet and brush both sides of the vegetables with 1/4 cup of the balsamic mixture. Brush the remaining balsamic mixture over both sides of the eggplant slices.
Transfer the vegetables to the grill, in batches if necessary, and grill until just tender and slightly charred, about 3 minutes per side for the eggplant and zucchini, and about 4 minutes per side for the bell peppers. Return the vegetables to the baking sheets as they are cooked and let cool. Cut the bell pepper quarters in half.
When the sauce is done, remove the pan from the heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in the ricotta cheese. Puree half of the sauce in a blender. Return the puree to the sauce remaining in the pan and stir in the basil. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Lay 4 uncooked lasagna noodles over the sauce, breaking them to fit (don’t worry if there’s space around the noodles, since they will expand as they cook). Lay one-third of the grilled vegetables over the noodles, then spoon 1 1/2 cups of the sauce over the vegetables and sprinkle one-third of the mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Repeat layering the noodles, vegetables, sauce, and mozzarella cheese one more time. Top with the remaining 4 noodles, then spread with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Arrange the remaining vegetables on top. Spoon the remaining sauce over the vegetables.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the lasagna. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the lasagna is golden brown on top and heated through (if you insert a knife into the center of the lasagna for 10 seconds, it should feel hot after you pull it out). Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
