I love it when food has attitude.
Like this. This lasagna is practically standing in a big open field with braids and flowers in its hair and a huge sign, “Whatever, I’m free-form. Wanna make something of it? And by the way, I just burned my bra.”
It’s lasagna without much willy nilly. There’s no turning on the oven. There’s only turning on the Led Zeppelin.
There’s no baking for a hundred million 81 years. There’s only a little simmering and sauteing and layering.
And obviously air drumming.
There’s no waiting around for 13 Tom and Jerry episodes so the lasagna will congeal properly so that when you cut it into it it’s a perfect little square. Oh no. There’s only flip flop dillipy dop, you don’t stop. Laya’ playa’ we gots the veggie va vaya’, come on now, slaya’ bo baya’.
Those are the lyrics to my new hit song. There is interpretive dance and everything! I just have to figure out what it means. And how to not get kicked out of humanity.
Just. Get. Out. Of. Town. Already.
Yeah, and those walnuts on top are going to blow this right out of the WATER. But not the oven because remember we didn’t even bake it, oooo snap!
Let’s start a new free-form everything revolution. Oh and we can invite Robert Plant!
Free-Form Vegetarian Lasagna:
What it took for 2:
* 6 no-boil flat lasagna sheets
* 2 cups cherry (or grape) tomatoes, yellow and red or whatever you have
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided
* 2 cups ricotta cheese
* 1 Tbs. freshly chopped mixed herbs (I used thyme and oregano)
* 1 zucchini, cut into thin circles
* 1 squash, cut into thin circles
* 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, for garnish
* fresh parmesan shavings and basil, for garnish
Place the lasagna sheets in a shallow dish filled with water. Soak for 30 minutes. (while you cook the meal)
Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth.
Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the garlic and bloom for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan, cover and simmer on low while you prepare the rest of the meal. Throw in a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini and squash and saute until browned and soft, 4 minutes. Add the swiss chard and continue to saute until it wilts, another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with the herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pat each lasagna sheet dry and place one on each serving plate. Arrange some vegetables over each sheet, followed by a dollop of the herbed ricotta. Layer with another sheet. More veggies. Then more ricotta. Then another sheet. Then more veggies, one more dollop of ricotta. Finally, spoon the tomato sauce over each pile. Go as crazy as you want here.
Garnish with toasted walnuts, parmesan shavings and a few fresh basil leaves. And probably another pinch of salt and pepper, ya know, for good measure.
I love this idea. So simple.
Only you could get from lasagne to bra burning in one sentence. I think you might be a little bit mad… but I absolutely love it
And this looks fab.
Yesssssss. Perfect summer meal.
Oh heck this is the lasagna for me. I hate the willy nilly layering and baking for 81 million years.
Brilliant…..SIMPLY brilliant! Love this idea, and can’t wait to do something about it.
I love this hippy lasagna! It could burn its bra over my stovetop anytime!
Oh I love this! Looks so damn good Bev!
This sounds like such a good way to summerify lasagna.
This looks fab.u.lous!! It’s been far too long since lasagna has crossed my lips, and I am missing out.
Awesome idea! Can’t wait to try it out!
This is bad to admit but I saw a similar idea on the chew a while back and thought how brilliant, then they’re completely personalized!
I LOVE this idea! My kind of lasagna.
i’ll take bra-burning lasagna any day – boycott the oven!
This is fantastic, because there is no way in HECK I am turning on my oven this week. Sheesh.
Look. At. This. LOVE veggie lasagna!
Free form and not having it be totally perfect…that is my speed! Love this one, Bev
As much as I love an oven baked lasagna, I love not turning on my oven in summer more. Looks fab.
This is some maaaaad delicious looking pasta! Yum!
What a great idea!!! Thanks Bev!
Lasagna burning its bra?! Sign me up!
Between the air drumming, Led Zeppelin, hippie, interpretive dancing lasagna – how can you not find this to be a freeing food experience?
I love how much veggies are in this dish! Great dish, Bev.
I NEED this for dinner! NEED!
Delicious of course and I’d listen to you sing on the radio any day of the week!
what a great idea on lasagna..i love how free it is…you don’t have to worry about if it looks good or whatever. plus, yours looks awesome for not being structured. beats regular lasagne!!
Haha you are one silly lady! and this looks all kinds of mmm mmm good.
Bev, I am obsessed with this recipe. Anything vegetarian and Italian is good in my book, but this is amazing.
i love walnuts with pasta – how did you know?!?
this looks awesome. i love lasagna but hate making it since i don’t always have 6 hours to spend making pasta.
What type of noodles did you use? I tried this, but the noodles did not get soft at all I used no boiling oven ready lasagna noodles.
Oh no! I used Barilla no-boil noodles. I soaked them for about 30 minutes. Yours didn’t get soft? I’m so sorry! Maybe a little longer soaking in the water?
I just went back to the store and bought barilla! It worked much better than the store brand!
Good, good! So glad that worked for you!
Bev, this is genius. So genius.
Oh yum… I love the free-flowing pasta sheets. So perfect for the summer when I don’t want to turn the oven on!
MUST TRY!!! <3