Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna, one of our favorites of all things layered (from terrines of Fois Gras to Tiramisu) can be an incredibly healthy meal. We have been playing with recipes for awhile and finally created a favorite. We recently invited a guest to share a vegetarian version of the classic. We pulled alot of the ingredients out of our backyard (the veggies, herbs, sauce, and eggs).



Here is the list of our ingredients:

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Marinara (1 to 1 1/2 Quarts).
Fresh Kale
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Swiss Chard
Home made Ricotta cheese, we used the recipe in Sunset Magazines  "One Block Feast""
1.5 cups Cheddar cheese
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
1-2 Eggs
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
9 Lasagna noodles (3 per layer)

Now, here is how you do it:

Pre-Heat the oven to 375 degrees and get a piece of foil large enough to seal your baking dish.

For a 9X13" baking dish you will need perfectly cooked lasagna noodles. If you use fresh noodles the same applies, cook them, then cool them and toss with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).

Mix 1 (or 2 if you want it more firm) egg with 3 cups of ricotta cheese, the herbs, salt and pepper to taste. You may want to thin it with whole milk or heavy cream. We like ours to be thick.

Now mix the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses and reserve. The parmesan is to be dusted in with the cheese to your liking; too much will make the dish too salty so beware.

Now we layer layer layer.

Start with marinara. Then layer 3 lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with the ricotta and then the other cheeses. Then layer the Kale, Spinach and Swiss Chard.

Cover this with sauce and repeat.

The last layer of lasagna noodles goes down and is simply covered with marinara and topped with the shredded cheeses. In other words, use the home made ricotta for the inside 2 layers.

Wrap tightly with the foil and place on center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil at 375 degrees until the cheese starts to caramelize.

Salt, Pepper and Parmesan the top.

Let stand 5 minutes, then serve with warm homemade bread and homemade butter.

This is how much Kale, Spinach, and Swiss Chard we used, but I would recommend a little more.

We are linking with with The garden of Eden's Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so check out other recipes from the week.

9 comments:

Stoney Acres said...

Sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe, we will have to give this one a try. We have been looking for a new lasagna recipe as ours is getting a little old and over used.

wilderness said...

I would like that but my brother who I am the caregiver for would never eat it so guess I will pass on this recipe but it sure does sound good.

Robin said...

This recipe sounds wonderful! It's always nice to find a new way to make a dish!

Thanks for sharing!

Mrs.Pickles said...

Sounds great! Thanks for sharing

Liz said...

I love making vegetarian lasagne and chard and ricotta is one of my favourite fillings. I hav never tried it with Kale though - something for next time.

Norma Chang said...

This sounds good and healthy. Will no-cook lasagna noodles work?

Jennie said...

The answer is yes. I actually use the no boil noodles at work when I have to conserve time without compromising too greatly the quality.

Just make sure you follow the bake time instructions on the package and to wrap the lasagna air tight with foil before the bake.

Anonymous said...

Did you blanch the vegetables beforehand?

Jennie said...

We did not blanch the vegetables/greens before hand. Just layered them in and baked.

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