Okay, so tonight I really felt like lasagna, but didn’t want the whole massive effort thing. Remembered this super quick veggie version I do sometimes, so decided to whip that up. Perfect for using up some stuff I had hanging around in the fridge too.
Getting Started – The Chop Shop
First things first, I grabbed my cutting board and knife. Had a zucchini, a couple of bell peppers (one red, one yellow), an onion, and some mushrooms that were looking a bit sad, honestly. Perfect candidates. Spent maybe 10 minutes just chopping everything up. Nothing fancy, just diced them reasonably small. I find the chopping part kind of relaxing sometimes, you know? Just zone out and chop.
Making the Filling
Next, I got my biggest frying pan out. Little bit of olive oil in, heated it up. Tossed in the onions first, let them get soft for a few minutes. Then chucked in the peppers and mushrooms. Let those cook down a bit before adding the zucchini – it cooks faster. Just stirred it all around until the veggies were tender-ish. Didn’t want mush, just softened up.
While the veggies were doing their thing, I sorted the ‘sauce’. Honestly, tonight was peak lazy mode. Grabbed a jar of my favorite marinara sauce. Poured most of that jar right into the pan with the cooked veggies. Gave it a good stir, added some salt, pepper, bit of dried oregano. Let that bubble away gently for like, five minutes? Just to get the flavors to mingle.
Oh, and the cheesy bit. Got a tub of ricotta cheese. Dumped it in a bowl. Added an egg (helps it set a bit), a big handful of grated mozzarella, some parmesan, salt, pepper. Mixed that all together. Simple.
Layering It Up
Assembly time! I grabbed my trusty rectangular baking dish. Spread a thin layer of the veggie-marinara sauce on the bottom. This stops the pasta sticking. Then I laid down some lasagna sheets. Big time saver: I always use the no-boil kind. Seriously, why make life harder? On top of the pasta sheets, I spread about half of the ricotta mixture. Then layered on more of the veggie sauce. Then another layer of pasta sheets, the rest of the ricotta mix, and the rest of the veggie sauce.
To finish, I sprinkled a generous amount of mozzarella cheese over the top. Because, well, it’s lasagna. Needs that cheesy crust.
Baking and Eating
Covered the dish with foil – helps it cook through without the top burning. Popped it into the oven, preheated to around 375°F (think that’s about 190°C?). Set the timer for 30 minutes.
After 30 mins, I took the foil off. Let it bake for another 15 minutes or so, just until the top was all golden brown and bubbly. The kitchen smelled amazing by this point.
Pulled it out and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This part is important! It helps the layers set, so it doesn’t turn into a sloppy mess when you cut into it (learned that the hard way years ago).
And that was it! Cut a big slice for myself. Cheesy, saucy, full of veggies. Didn’t take long at all, mostly hands-off time once it was in the oven. Super satisfying for a weeknight. Definitely hit the spot.
