Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas

Free-form! We like free-form lasagna. Don’t argue with me.

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

This is one of those springy-summery meals that’s super comforting, but doesn’t feel like you ate a wet cinder block. It’s also vegetarian, but you can absolutely throw in some shredded rotis if your hearts cries.

LEZ BREAK HER DOWN.

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

By the way, are these helpful? My little graphics? I enjoy putting them together, because I’m psychotically visually driven, but I’m always like, “Do they care? Do they hate them? Are they out there? WHO AM I.”

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

Super simple sitch here, ma’ams. We roast a head of cauliflower.

And you know my rule, a FULL HOUR. Give it an entire hour in that hot hot hot oven! Not a minute less. One whole hour. You want color. You want depth. You want charring and flavor and tenderness and lusciousness.

And then there’s the cauliflower! (ba-domp.)

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

So since this is a free-form lasagna, the ricotta is going to be dollop nation station. You’ll add some fresh lemon juice to it, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and that’s AWL. I mean all. And it doesn’t have to stay cold. Room temp is fine, once you whisk it all together.

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

Okay, these were those flat, fancy no-boil lasagna sheet from Trader Joe’s, but I obviously had to boil them. Since it’s free form. You know.

But my tip here is, boil these last second! You don’t want them to get rubbery and sticky if you’re waiting around for the cauliflower to roast. Get everything nearly done, then drop these into boiling water for a few minutes until they soften. Then IMMEDIATELY layer up your las! (<–las = lasagna. was that weird? okay.)

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

A few lasagna sheets, a drizzle of oil, some roasted cauli, a few (thawed) peas, dollops of lemony ricotta, just get all willy nilly with it.

Also – if you need to drizzle a few baby drops of the starchy water over everything, juuuuust to give it the slightest hint of a sauce, go for it! The ricotta will soften into it, and it will become this light, lemony glossiness. You’ll barely be able to handle it.

And the parmesan! And basil! And the extra lemon wedges! (I’ll relax.)

And one more drizzle of olive oil and a good grind of black pepper and your entire upper torso.

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

Summer = free form. So.

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas
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Recipe Image

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 10-15 lasagna sheets, broken into chunks
  • About a cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • Sprouts, basil, or parsley for garnish
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400.
  2. Arrange the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet, and drizzle with a Tbs or so of extra-virgin olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, and roast for an hour.
  3. In the meantime, place the ricotta cheese in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk in 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the broken lasagna sheets when there’s about 10 minutes left on the cauliflower. You’ll want to assemble immediately after, so that the sheets don’t get sticky. Save about half a cup of starchy water, for drizzling if needed.
  5. Drain the lasagna sheets, and start layering in wide shallow bowls. A few broken sheets, some roasted cauliflower, a few dollops of lemony ricotta, maybe a drop or two of the starchy water, a sprinkling of peas, followed by plenty of fresh parmesan and garnish! Give it another pinch of finishing salt, a few more squeezes of fresh lemon juice, and a grind of black pepper, and you’re set for life.
  6. Serves 4!
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https://bevcooks.com/2018/05/free-form-lasagna-with-roasted-cauliflower-and-peas/

Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas / Bev Cooks

Yes, ma’am.

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21 Responses to Free-Form Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower and Peas

  1. Rebekah S May 22, 2018 at 10:13 am #
    I love that graphic. I always scan it first before reading on to see if I want to just go ahead and hit print or not. (No worries. I always print.) Plus, it's pretty. :)
    • Bev Weidner May 22, 2018 at 10:30 am #
      Okay, thank you! You've made my day. Only one other person has ever commented on it, so I've always wondered if it was worth it. :) So THANK YOU.
  2. shannon May 22, 2018 at 10:26 am #
    I completely agree with Rebekah!!
  3. Ali Vizzo May 22, 2018 at 10:45 am #
    Yes! Love the graphic!
  4. Trisha Fugere May 22, 2018 at 10:47 am #
    This looks incredible and has made me very hungry!! I really like your graphics too! It ties it all together!! ??
  5. Karen B. May 22, 2018 at 10:57 am #
    My daughter-in-law, who I adore, loves cauliflower and I'm always looking for recipes that feature this veggie. I love your graphics. They make everything pretty and help with seeing the ingredients artistically, which I love! Thanks for your always entertaining posts. xo, Karen
    • Bev Weidner May 22, 2018 at 2:47 pm #
      You are the sweetest! Thank you, Karen. xx
  6. Amy May 22, 2018 at 2:33 pm #
    Best post ever and keep the graphics! I look for it every time!
  7. Cheryl May 22, 2018 at 10:44 pm #
    I love love the graphics ?
  8. Amanda May 23, 2018 at 12:39 pm #
    I look forward to the graphic for every recipe! This looks so yummy and light. I love lasagna but the traditional type is definitely heavy for summer. I need this in my mouth!
  9. Lori May 23, 2018 at 9:05 pm #
    First time visiting your site Bev. Love the ingenuity and simplicity of this dish. And the graphics are a very nice addition :))
  10. wuxiaworld May 24, 2018 at 2:04 am #
    That dish looks very attractive.I will do it for my dinner!
  11. Lauren May 28, 2018 at 4:40 am #
    Love the graphics and your photography!
  12. Jann Jones June 4, 2018 at 4:47 pm #
    Very good-easy and you can roast the cauliflower before hand and just reheat it to add to the dish...Also added fresh lemon zest to the ricotta mixture. Next time perhaps something crunchy on top...
  13. Elizabeth July 30, 2018 at 10:19 am #
    Stop saying “graphics”. Also imma make this tonight
  14. chela August 2, 2018 at 8:54 am #
    made this, super easy! super good - i was a little suspicious on how it would turn out, but i've declared it a keeper. yay veggies
  15. Elina @UseHealthTips October 26, 2018 at 8:34 am #
    In winters I and my whole family eat Cauliflower. It is very good for health. This recipe looks so yummy and delicious.
  16. Estel March 29, 2020 at 9:25 pm #
    I found this while looking at how to rescue cauliflower our fridge suddenly froze. This is a really nice recipe, but because of current restrictions and shortages I varied a little bit. There's no ricotta or Parmesan cheese available here, so I made the whipped cheese component with a combination of crumbled feta and yogurt, added lemon rind and a small amount of lemon juice. I added red capsicums and stir fried these lightly with the peas.

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