Eggplant, zucchini, crookneck squash, summer squash, bell peppers, onion slices, mushrooms, and fennel are vegetables which work well. Cut open the bell peppers, remove the insides and slice them into large rectangles. Slice other vegetables 3/8″ thick, and place similarly sized vegetables together in the same pan so you can remove vegetables which cook faster than others from the oven first.
Fall is here! Roasting veggies is a wonderful way to warm up the house with delicious smells, and great to make a lasagna, using roasted vegetable slices instead of pasta.
It’s best to keep the vegetable slices as large as possible (i.e. slicing the crookneck squash lengthwise) because they’re easier to layer later. The lasagna will also look prettier when you cut it into pieces to serve.
I slice up whatever vegetables I have on hand, sprinkle them with a little sea salt and herbs, then roast them in a little olive oil for ~35-45 minutes at 400 degrees, depending on how big the vegetable pieces are and how crowded the pans are.
Thyme, oregano and rosemary are my favorite herbs to mince and use fresh, but here I just used some dried basil and oregano.
Simply layer the roasted vegetables with some good bottled marinara sauce and goat cheese, then top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted.
Let it set another 15 minutes or so to make cutting it easier.
For a vegan version, leave out the goat and parmesan cheeses and sprinkle the top with a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast, or gluten free breadcrumbs drizzled with a little oil.
A couple of other vegan substitutes for the goat and parmesan cheeses are Daiya cheese and nut cheese.
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Vegan No Cheese Version with Nutritional Yeast sprinkled on top
This is a nice dish to have when everyone is here for a family dinner. Our family members follow a variety of eating styles: paleo/low carb, lacto-ovo vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free/gluten free, and omnivore.
I make the lasagna half vegan, and half with goat cheese.
In addition, I would prepare:
Pasta: regular or gluten free (maybe with a drizzle of porcini olive oil)
and/or
Rice or Quinoa: plain or pilaf, with nuts mixed in or on the side
Turkey sausages or baked chicken
Baby lettuces and greens, olive oil and vinegar on the side
Cut fresh fruit
Dessert: Vanilla bean almond milk hot chocolate with whipped coconut cream {and maybe a shot of Bailey’s for the over 21 crowd} =)
- 1 large eggplant
- 4 medium zucchini or crookneck squash
- 2 large red, orange or yellow bell peppers
- 1 large yellow or red onion
- 2 T. minced fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme oregano) or 2 tsp. dried herbs
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 6 T. oil
- 1-3/4 c. marinara sauce
- 5 oz. goat cheese or non-dairy cheese
- 2 T. grated parmesan cheese or 1 T. nutritional yeast
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut vegetables as follows: eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into ⅜" slices; onions into ⅜" round slices; cut open bell peppers, remove stem and clean out seeds, cut into rectangles approximately 2" x 3" or so.
- Measure out and spread 2T. oil onto the bottom of each of two large baking sheets. In the first baking sheet, place eggplant slices in a single layer. Drizzle another 2 T. oil over the eggplant slices. Spinkle lightly with salt, pepper and half of the herbs. In the other baking sheet, lay the squash slices in a single layer, then place the onion rings in the remaining space (it's fine if they overlap). Turn the squash slices over so both sides get coated with oil. Break apart the onion rings a bit and mix them up with the oil in the pan. Sprinkle the squash and onions lightly with salt and pepper, and the remaining herbs. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender. The squash will be done before the eggplant, so that pan may be removed first.
- Spread about ¼ c. marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8" x 8" baking pan. Place half of the eggplant slices, ¼ c, sauce, half of squash slices, ¼ c.sauce, half of the goat cheese, half of the onions, half of the peppers, ¼ c. sauce, the remaining squash, ¼ c. sauce, the remaining cheese, the remaining onions, remaining peppers,1/4 c. sauce, remaining eggplant, and finally ¼ c. sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until heated through, and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let set 15 minutes before cutting and serving.