Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

My daughter-in-law cooked this for us one night at the beach last week. The condo was transformed into an Italian Villa with the intoxicating aromas of the roasting vegetables. We were all starving when this was served. Thank you Emily!

Vegetables:

4 red bell peppers 

1 t. olive oil or butter

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

3 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large onion, cut into 16 wedges 

4 garlic cloves, minced

Cheese filling:

2 cups 2% low-fat cottage cheese 

1 ½ cups grated sharp provolone cheese 

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 t. dried oregano

1 large jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce

9 cooked lasagna noodles (you can use the no boil noodles if you prefer)

2 cups spinach leaves, divided

1 cup sliced white button mushrooms

½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 

Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.

To prepare vegetables, cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel; set aside.

  

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine oil, salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, squash, zucchini and onion on a baking sheet; toss well. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; combine squash mixture and garlic in a bowl.

Decrease oven temperature to 375°.

To prepare cheese mixture, combine cottage cheese and next 3 ingredients (cottage cheese through oregano) in a bowl.

Spread 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce; top with 1 ¼ cups cheese mixture, 1 cup spinach, 4 bell pepper halves, 2 cups vegetable mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles.

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.

Note:

Use a sharp, potent cheese in this dish for the most flavor. Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, or sharp cheddar will all work as well in the filling. Stick to mozzarella for the top, however, as it melts and browns the best. For extra browning, place the lasagna under the broiler for a minute or two at the end of cooking.

And here is the end result:  My empty plate.....

Adapted from Jean Kressy, Cooking Light June 1999