Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

In case you haven’t heard, cottage cheese is having a moment. If you only associate cottage cheese with the virtuous diet food that your mother ate, scooped into the hollow of half a cantaloupe, it’s time to retool your thinking. The darling of dietitians, cottage cheese is high in protein and keeps you feeling satiated for a long time. The biggest issue that people have with cottage cheese is its texture. But when you whip cottage cheese, either with a hand blender or in a food processor, it morphs into a creamy, airy, spread that rivals whipped ricotta in taste.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

In this recipe for lasagna, I use readily available full-fat cottage cheese in place of ricotta cheese. Smooth and fluffy after it’s whipped, you won’t miss its stylish Italian cousin. Made with no boil noodles, roasted vegetables, and the tomato sauce of your choice, this easily assembled lasagna can be prepared, baked, and enjoyed up to three days later. Whether it’s layered in lasagna, spread on toast with a drizzle of honey, or eaten as a dip for cut-up vegetables, it’s time to create new food memories with whipped cottage cheese.

Assemble your ingredients. This easy recipe uses no-boil noodles and prepared tomato sauce. No-boil noodles are precooked at the factory. During baking, the moisture from the sauce softens, or rehydrates, the noodles, especially when the pan is covered as the lasagna bakes. This recipe works very well with your favorite prepared marinara sauce. If you want to gild the lily, feel free to sauté a diced onion in olive oil until it softens. Add minced garlic and continue to sauté over moderate heat until the onion is translucent. Add to the prepared marinara sauce. This recipe calls for a generous amount of tomato sauce in order for the noodles to soften properly while baking.

Roasted vegetables: Prepare the roasted vegetables. Please check out this recipe for full instructions. Roasting the vegetables reduces their juices preventing a watery, soggy lasagna and also concentrates their flavors.

Cottage cheese: To whip the cottage cheese, place the contents of a 2 cup container (454 g) of cottage cheese (1% and up to 4%), in the bowl of a food processor. Using the S-blade, process the cottage cheese until it is as smooth as you would like. I like it very creamy. To prepare the cheese for using in the lasagna, combine the whipped cottage cheese with the yolk of a large egg and set the mixture aside.

Lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Reserve 1 cup of tomato sauce for the top of the lasagna. Spread 2 cups of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish; shingle 4 noodles on top of the sauce.

Dollop 1/2 of the whipped cottage cheese and egg mixture onto the layer of noodles. Using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, spread the cottage cheese/egg mixture in an even layer over the noodles. Top with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Top the cheese with a layer of roasted vegetables. Repeat layering with 2 cups tomato sauce, 4 noodles, the remaining cottage cheese and egg mixture, a layer of mozzarella cheese and the remaining vegetables. 

Place the remaining 4 noodles on top of the layer of vegetables. Spread the reserved 1 cup of tomato sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Lightly spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and cover the lasagna. Bake covered on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil carefully and continue to bake the lasagna uncovered for another 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 25 minutes before serving.

Whipped 1% cottage cheese

Print Recipe

Roasted vegetable lasagna

Dairy and Meatless Mains

By Nanette – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 40 minutes – Cooking Time: 60 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Roasted vegetables, sandwiched between no-boil lasagna noodles, layered with zingy marinara sauce, whipped cottage cheese, and topped with melt-y mozzarella cheese, create an unbeatable lasagna.

Ingredients

• No-cook tomato sauce
• 2 23-ounce (680-ml) cans or jars of your favorite marinara sauce
• 1 19-ounce (540-ml) can of diced tomatoes (I prefer the tomatoes seasoned with garlic and olive oil for lasagna)
• 1 medium onion, diced (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated (optional)
• Roasted vegetables
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced in rounds, 1/4-inch thick
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 6 white mushrooms (quartered)
• 1 red bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• Lasagna
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 1-pound (2-cup or 454 g) container cottage cheese (1-4%)
• 1 egg yolk
• 5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Roasted Vegetables:

1

Prepare the roasted vegetables. Please check out this recipe, https://nancooksthebooks.com/roasted-vegetables/ for full instructions.

Cottage Cheese:

2

To whip the cottage cheese, place the contents of a 2 cup container (454 g) of cottage cheese, (1% fat and up to 4%) in the bowl of a food processor. Using the S-blade, process the cottage cheese until it is as smooth as you would like. I like it very creamy. To prepare the cheese for using in the lasagna, combine the whipped cottage cheese with the yolk of a large egg and set the mixture aside.

No-cook Tomato Sauce:

3

Combine the marinara sauce and canned diced tomatoes in a large bowl. Stir to mix. For extra flavor you can sauté a medium onion that has been diced finely and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a tablespoon of olive over medium heat. When the onion is translucent, add it to the tomato sauce. This step is optional. Set aside 1 cup of sauce and hold it in reserve.

Lasagna

4

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Spread 2 cups of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish; shingle 4 noodles on top of the sauce.

5

Dollop 1/2 of the whipped cottage cheese and egg mixture onto the layer of noodles. Using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, spread the cottage cheese/egg mixture in an even layer over the noodles. Top with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Top the cheese with a layer of roasted vegetables. Repeat layering with 2 cups tomato sauce, 4 noodles, the remaining cottage cheese and egg mixture, a layer of mozzarella cheese and the remaining vegetables. 

6

Place the remaining 4 noodles on top of the layer of vegetables. Spread the reserved 1 cup of tomato sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Lightly spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and cover the lasagna. Bake covered on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil carefully and continue to bake the lasagna uncovered for another 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 25 minutes before serving.

Notes

I strongly recommend making the lasagna the day before you want to serve it. It will be much easier to cut after it has a chance to set.