Please Fave the Original Submission here.

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There's lasagna...and then there's LASAGNA, from !

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Vrghr wanted to use up more of those gigantor zucchinis, and what better way than but to pour a GROUP of them into a lasagna? This is entirely meatless. But wuff wanted this to be rich and hearty enough not to miss the meat. And since Zucchini, especially when they get that large, are a relatively mild flavored ingredient, Vrghr looked to stack layers of flavor into every part of this dish.

Wuff used his home-made Marinara from the Zucchini Stacks recipe, but kicked it up into a "Robusto" version with the addition of crushed red peppers, plus a bit of extra wine, garlic, and an extra helping of the Mirepoix. The white sauce (shown in the assembly picture) has an aged white cheddar, and a whole pint of 4% Cottage Cheese; it was SOOO good!!

The shredded zucchini (previously dried out in a colander under a weighted plate) got oven-roasted with a coating of olive oil, granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt and pepper. There are thick slabs of Portobello mushrooms, sautéed in butter and olive oil, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. The skillet used to sauté those was then used to make another mirepoix, with added Italian and white wines, and a shot of lemon juice to "spark" it even more. The veggies picked up the layer of all that earthy mushroom goodness.

To add even more flavor, Vrghr sautéed shallots and garlic in butter and olive oil, then reduced a pound of fresh spinach and a half pound of fresh kale in the seasoned oils. A dash of ground Ancho Pepper, along with minced dried onions and more granulated garlic, salt and pepper brought that to perfect levels, and then wuff mixed in the roasted zucchini.

The layers are built up of marinara sauce, lasagna noodles, spinach/kale/Zucchini mix, a layer of the enhanced mirepoix, sautéed portobellos, grated parmigiano reggiano, grated Asiago, and cheesy white sauce. Then they repeat.

It was topped with the last of the Marinara on top of the last layer of noodles, then thick slabs of good mozzerella were laid on top, along with the last of the grated Asiago.

Good thing wuff put an extra cookie sheet under the casserole, 'cause it bubbled over like an erupting volcano!

Only thing wuffy might have done different, would be to cover the dish part way through the cooking, to keep the top a wee bit less brown.

But, Oh My! What a Lasagna! This was sooooo good! And filling! One piece satisfied a very hungry dragonwolf! And another about sent his roomie into a food coma! *giggle* Good thing this came out well, because there are at least another 12 servings left!! Going to put this up, and freeze some too. Some is going out to friends. But we're still going to be enjoying this for a long time to come. *grins*

Vrghr is still typing up all the steps and such that went into this. There's a LOT going on! Wuff strongly recommends doing this in stages: make the marinara one day. dice up your mirepoix the night before, etc., to make the kitchen task a wee bit less challenging on the day of assembly.

EDIT - Here's the Recipe:

This recipe takes special care to reduce the moisture of the fillings, such as drying the zucchini in a colander and roasting it, and sautéing the veggies at each stage. Vegetable Lasagna often turns runny and watery when baked as the veggies expel their moisture. This version won't do that!

Sauces:

This recipe makes use of both the Marinara and the Béchamel sauces from Vrghr's Zucchini Stacks, found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/17795538/ .

Make the following alterations to those sauces:

- Double the Marinara sauce, and add 1 to 1.5 tsp crushed red peppers and ~ 1/2 Tbs Sriracha sauce to make it a "Sauce Robusto", with a bit of a kick. (Optionally, just leave those out if you want a milder result.)
- Replace the Feta and the Goat Cheeses with 10-12 oz of sharp white cheddar and 1 pint full fat (4%) Cottage Cheese. Adjust half n half / milk to create a medium sauce to spread on the lasagna.

Ingredients:

Sauces: See above

1 box (1 lb) Lasagna noodles, ready to bake (can use normal "boil ahead" too)

For the Lasagna Fillings:

~3/4 lb Grated Grana Padano (preferred), Parmigiano Reggiano, or Asiago Cheese
~ 1 lb. Mozzarella Cheese (whole, sliced)
Large bunch (8 oz+) of Fresh Basil, chopped
~1/2 C Sun-Dried Tomatoes, chopped & re-hydrated (1/2 C (Italian) red wine + 1/2 C hot water)

For the Mushrooms:

4 large Portobello Mushroom caps, sliced
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs minced Garlic
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
1/2 tsp salt

For the Greens:

1 lb fresh spinach
1/2 lb kale
3 Shallots, minced
1/2 C Chicken Stock
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs minced Garlic
2 tsp Granulated Garlic
1 tsp (Omnivore) Salt
1 tsp ground Black Pepper

For the Zucchini:

6 Cups shredded Zucchini
2 Tbs Olive Oil
~2 tsp Granulated Garlic
~2 tsp Granulated Onion
~1 tsp ground Black Pepper
~1/2 tsp salt

For the "Soffritto " (Italian Mirepoix):

2 large Yellow Onions, diced
3-4 Carrots, grated
3-4 Celery stalks, diced
1 bunch Fresh Curly Parsley, chopped
2 Tbs minced Garlic
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
1/2 C (Italian) Red Wine
Season with salt/pepper. Cook in butter and olive oil to near-caramelized state. Add minced garlic. De-glaze with Italian wine. Add tomato paste and some lemon juice. Finish with fresh parsley.

Directions:
Preparation:

Note: The Marinara (NOT the white sauce!), grating and drying the zucchini, rehydrating the sun-dried tomatoes, making the Soffritto and sautéing the greens can all be done in advance. Vrghr strongly recommends this, to make the assembly and prep of the lasagna on "supper day" FAR easier. Just store the ingredients, covered, in the refrigerator until ready. The zucchini should be roasted, mushrooms fried, and Béchamel (white) sauce should be made right before use.

Slice the sun-dried tomatoes in to thin strips (Julienne). Place in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add red wind and water. Heat for about a minute or so until steaming, then let set for at least an hour for the tomatoes to rehydrate.

Grate the zucchini and place in a colander, weighted with a plate with canned goods/etc. on top, to drain the extra moisture for at least an hour.

Sauté the Greens:

Heat the olive oil and butter and sauté in a large sauce pan. Add minced shallots and minced garlic and sauté until fragrant and shallots are translucent.
Add spinach and kale by handfuls and stir to coat with flavored oil. Cook down until you can add the next handful.
Add the chicken stock.
Cook until everything is completely wilted.
Taste, and season with granulated garlic and salt and pepper

Make "enhanced" Soffritto:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil & butter. Add diced onions. Cook until translucent.
Add carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook until they are limp and browned, and the onions are caramelized.
Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
De-glaze with Italian wine and cook until reduced to a couple tablespoons.
Add tomato paste and stir into mixture.
Thin paste, if needed, with a touch more wine.
Stir in fresh parsley just before use.

Slice the Portobello Mushrooms into ¼" thick strips. Sauté in butter & olive oil, seasoned with granulated garlic, salt, pepper, until they give up their moisture and are dark.

Roast the Zucchini

Toss the dried grated zucchini in a bowl with the olive oil to coat all the pieces.
Spread the grated zucchini on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with the seasonings (garlic, onion, salt and pepper).
Roast in a 400 degree oven until lightly browned on the edges (about 20-30 minutes).

Fold the roasted zucchini into the sautéed greens.

Boil the noodles, if required, according to the package directions. (season the water with salt and granulated garlic)

Assemble the Lasagna:

Put a layer of marinara sauce in bottom of 9 X 13" pan. Add a layer of noodles.
Top the noodles with a layer of the spinach/zucchini mix, and a layer of Soffritto.
Sprinkle with the fresh basil. and sun-dried tomatoes.
Spoon half the white sauce over.
Add a layer of the red sauce (about 1/3 of what is left)
Sprinkle with the grated cheese

Repeat layers starting with another layer of noodles.

Top with one last layer of noodles. Spread red sauce on top. Spread slices of the mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake the Lasagna:

Note: You could refrigerate the lasagna at this point and back it the following day. Add about 15-20 minutes to the first baking stage (covered) to compensate for the refrigerated temp.
Cover with a layer of tinfoil (try not to let it touch the cheese on top) and bake @ 350 for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and carefully remove foil top.
Return to oven and continue baking for another ~15 minutes, or until top layer of cheese is starting to turn brown in spots.

Remove and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, to set up slightly.

Slice into servings, plate. Garnish with a bit of fresh chopped parsley.

DEVOUR!

Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being