Hearty Vegetarian Lasagna

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

30 Jul 2008 02:49 PM

This is not a dish you could easily whip up after working overtime at the office and had five hungry (an impatient) mouths to feed. It's best made on a lazy Sunday or any other time when you have few interruptions.

Despite the disclaimer I can tell you that the end result is well worth the effort. When I was first served this particular lasagna at a friend's home in Hawaii I couldn't believe it was vegetarian. There's no mistaking that it lacks ground beef, but the dish was so hearty and the addition of the macadamia nuts gave it such a wonderful texture that I didn't miss the meat at all.

One tip about this lasagna is that it tastes even better as leftovers. The flavors have more time to marry overnight and the refrigerated version is easier to slice and serve.

HEARTY VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh basil, tightly packed

3-1/2 cups macadamia nuts

1-3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1-1/2 cups plus 6 tablespoons filtered water

2-1/2 cups tomatoes

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 large gold bar squash, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 bunch chard or rainbow chard, stems removed

4 large tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Place 1/2 cup basil, 3 cups nuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 4 teaspoons vinegar in food processor and process 20 seconds on low speed, adding 1-1/2 cups water as necessary, slowly through the top. Add just enough for a ricotta like consistency. Be careful not to over process.

Blend tomatoes to make 2 cups. Add remaining nuts, basil, vinegar and pepper, plus the oregano, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons water and rosemary. Blend on high speed 30 seconds, until smooth. Toss zucchini and gold bar squash strips in remaining olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Marinate at least 1 hour.

Lightly oil bottom of a 13-by-9-inch pan. Place layer of chard on bottom. Add layer of zucchini, then tomato mixture, 1/2 the basil mixture, then 1/2 the tomato sauce. Repeat and top with a final layer of zucchini.

Yields 12 pieces.

Related Articles:

Heart Healthy Vegetarian Dishes

Pint-Sized Vegetarians

All About Asparagus

Roasted Veggie Enchiladas

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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