Time: 1 hour 40 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

The highlight of this vegetarian lasagna is the baked cauliflower. It's used both as a filling on its own, replacing meat, and added to the cheese filling along with ricotta, adding texture. Red bell pepper, added to the tomato sauce, adds a more complex and nuanced flavor. Instead of regular mozzarella, we use semi-skim mozzarella to keep your lasagna light. When baked, the mozzarella, paired with aromatic Parmesan, creates an incredibly mouth-watering, gooey cheesy crust, so you won't even miss the meat.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cauliflower florets (1 head; about 2.1 kg)
• 2 tbsp olive oil + extra for greasing the noodles
• 1 can (800 g) canned whole plum tomatoes, no salt added
• 5 cloves garlic, 4 thinly sliced, 1 minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 220g whole grain lasagna noodles (about 10 sheets)
• 1 cup semi-skimmed ricotta
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup grated semi-skimmed mozzarella
• 1/4 tbsp. grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

pasta lasagna, cauliflower, plum tomatoes, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, sweet pepper, basil

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Preparation:

Step 1
• Preheat oven to 220°C.
Step 2
• In a bowl, toss the cauliflower with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Arrange the florets in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once, until tender and golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly.
Step 3
• Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands. Pour 1.5 cups of water into the jar, rinse, and pour into the bowl with the tomatoes.
Step 4
• In a small Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil with 4 chopped garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt until the garlic begins to sizzle and become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to distribute evenly, about 30 seconds. Add the pureed tomatoes with their juices and 4 large basil leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 40 minutes. You should have about 3 3/4 cups sauce.
Step 5
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the lasagna noodles one at a time. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the noodles in a colander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil to the noodles, toss to coat and prevent sticking, and hang them over the edges of a large bowl.
Step 6
• In a food processor, combine the ricotta, egg, 1.5 cups of roasted cauliflower, and 1 finely chopped garlic clove and process until smooth. Tear the remaining basil into small pieces, add it to the food processor, and process 3-4 more times until the basil is just finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Step 7
• Assemble the lasagna:
  
  Spread the sauce in a thin layer (about 1/4 cup) in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom, making sure not to overlap them, cutting them as needed. Top with half the cauliflower-ricotta mixture, then half the roasted cauliflower, a third of the tomato sauce, a third of the mozzarella, and a third of the Parmesan. Loosely arrange 3 more lasagna noodles on top of the cheese. Spread with the remaining cauliflower-ricotta mixture, then top with the remaining roasted cauliflower, another third of the tomato sauce, another third of the mozzarella, and a third of the Parmesan.
Step 8
• Top with the remaining 4 lasagna noodles, cutting them to fit the pan. Then add the remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese begins to brown, about 10 more minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes to make slicing easier. Sprinkle with parsley.

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