An easy lasagne recipe using Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne noodles and filled with lots of fresh vegetables.
In our bustling daily lives, especially during holidays or busy weeks, finding time to prepare wholesome, delicious meals for our families can be a challenge. We often juggle multiple tasks, and meal planning can feel like an extra burden. But what if there was a way to create a hearty, satisfying, and incredibly easy dish that everyone at the table would love? Something that’s both comforting and packed with fresh, vibrant flavors? Something that helps you sneak in those much-needed vegetables, especially after indulging in a few too many sweet treats?
Look no further than a beautiful, vegetable-filled lasagne. This classic Italian dish is a universal favorite, synonymous with warmth, family, and good times. A big pan of bubbling lasagne, layered with rich sauce, tender noodles, and gooey cheese, is truly a sight to behold and a joy to eat. It’s the kind of meal that brings people together, fostering smiles and memorable conversations. While traditional lasagne might seem like a weekend project, requiring hours of preparation, this particular recipe is designed for maximum flavor with minimal fuss.
The Secret to Speed and Simplicity: Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles
For many home cooks, the thought of making lasagne conjures images of boiling noodles, draining them carefully, and hoping they don’t stick together. It can be an intimidating and time-consuming process. However, this recipe introduces a game-changing ingredient: Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne noodles. If you’ve never used them before, prepare to be amazed. These innovative noodles eliminate the pre-boiling step entirely, allowing you to layer them directly into your baking dish. This single shortcut slashes preparation time significantly, transforming lasagne from a special occasion meal into a feasible weeknight option.
My first experience with Barilla Oven Ready noodles was truly impressive. The ease of assembly was remarkable, and the finished product was just as delicious and perfectly textured as any lasagne made with traditional noodles. They absorb moisture from the sauce as they bake, becoming wonderfully tender and creating a harmonious blend of flavors. This innovation from Barilla is a testament to their commitment to making authentic Italian cooking accessible to everyone, regardless of their busy schedules or culinary skill level.
A Bounty of Fresh Vegetables: Nutrition and Flavor in Every Bite
After weeks of indulging in holiday sweets and heavier fare, our bodies often crave something fresh and nutritious. This vegetable lasagne is the perfect antidote. It’s generously packed with a colorful array of seasonal vegetables, ensuring every bite is bursting with flavor and vital nutrients. We’re talking about vibrant zucchini, crisp asparagus, wholesome broccoli florets, and sweet cherry tomatoes. These ingredients don’t just add beautiful color and texture; they also contribute essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making this lasagne a guilt-free pleasure.
The beauty of a vegetable lasagne lies in its versatility. While the recipe specifies zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes, feel free to customize it with your favorite seasonal produce. Think about adding sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, or even thinly sliced eggplant. Each vegetable brings its unique character to the dish, allowing for endless culinary exploration. The key is to lightly sauté the vegetables first to bring out their natural sweetness and ensure they are tender-crisp, adding a delightful contrast to the creamy sauce and soft noodles.
Crafting the Creamy Bechamel Sauce: The Heart of the Lasagne
Beyond the noodles and vegetables, a truly exceptional lasagne relies on a luscious, velvety sauce. For this recipe, we’ll be making a classic Bechamel sauce, a cornerstone of Italian cuisine. This white sauce, made from a simple roux of butter and flour whisked into warm milk, provides a rich, creamy binder that brings all the layers together. It’s a foundational technique that, once mastered, opens up a world of culinary possibilities.
Creating a smooth Bechamel is easier than you might think. The trick is to melt the butter, whisk in the flour to form a thick paste (the roux), and then gradually whisk in warm milk, ensuring no lumps form. Continuous stirring as it thickens is essential for that perfect consistency. Seasoning it with salt and pepper, and then folding in some grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, elevates the sauce to another level of deliciousness, infusing it with a savory depth that complements the vegetables beautifully. This creamy sauce is what makes each bite of lasagne so incredibly satisfying, wrapping every ingredient in a comforting embrace.
Assembling Your Masterpiece: Layers of Flavor
Once your vegetables are prepped and your Bechamel sauce is ready, the assembly process for this lasagne is a breeze. It’s all about creating harmonious layers that will bake into a cohesive and flavorful dish. Start by lightly coating the bottom of your baking dish with a generous layer of Bechamel. This prevents the first layer of noodles from sticking and ensures they cook evenly. Then, lay down a layer of Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne noodles, making sure they slightly overlap or touch to cover the entire surface.
Next, spread one-third of your sautéed vegetable mix over the noodles, followed by another generous dollop of Bechamel sauce. Repeat this layering process: noodles, vegetables, sauce, until you have three full layers of vegetables. Finish with a final layer of noodles, covered with the remaining Bechamel, and then sprinkle generously with the reserved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This top layer of cheese will bake into a golden, bubbling crust, adding incredible texture and flavor. The visual appeal of these distinct layers, even before baking, hints at the culinary delight to come.
Baking and Serving: Patience is a Virtue
Baking this lasagne to perfection takes approximately 30 minutes in a preheated oven. During this time, the oven-ready noodles will soften, the flavors will meld, and the cheese will turn a beautiful golden brown. However, one crucial step that often gets overlooked is allowing the lasagne to rest after it comes out of the oven. This resting period, ideally about 15 minutes, is vital. It allows the layers to set and the sauces to redistribute, ensuring that when you slice into it, your lasagne holds its shape beautifully and doesn’t spill out onto the plate. Cutting into it too soon often results in a messy, though still delicious, presentation.
Serve your vegetable lasagne with a simple side salad dressed with a light vinaigrette, or some warm garlic bread to sop up any extra sauce. It’s a complete meal that’s hearty enough to satisfy even the biggest appetites, yet feels light and fresh thanks to the abundance of vegetables. This dish also makes for fantastic leftovers, often tasting even better the next day as the flavors have had more time to deepen and marry. It’s a wonderful option for meal prepping, allowing you to enjoy delicious, homemade food throughout the week with minimal effort.
Whether you’re new to making lasagne or a seasoned pro looking for an easier method, Barilla offers solutions to fit your needs. Their range includes both the convenient oven-ready lasagne noodles and traditional wavy noodles, ensuring you can choose your preferred pasta. Furthermore, Barilla provides a selection of 8 delicious jarred sauces, offering a convenient alternative if you prefer not to make your sauce from scratch. For more inspiration and authentic Italian recipes, including a variety of lasagne preparations, be sure to explore the 6 authentic lasagne recipes available on Barilla’s website. You can also connect with Barilla for more cooking tips and inspiration by following them on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Lasagne with Fresh Vegetables
Deborah Harroun
20 minutes
30 minutes
1 hour
8
servings
Pin
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ▢ 1 clove Garlic
- ▢ 2 cups Zucchini cut into half moon slices
- ▢ 3 cups Asparagus cut into small pieces on a bias
- ▢ 3 cups Broccoli Florets cut into small pieces
- ▢ 1 pint Cherry Tomato halved
- ▢ 4 1/2 cups Milk
- ▢ 4 tablespoons Butter
- ▢ 4 tablespoons Flour
- ▢ 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Grated
- ▢ 1 box Barilla Lasagne Oven Ready
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the whole garlic clove. Add in the zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli and sauté until cooked but still crunchy. Add in the halved cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 2 additional minutes. Remove garlic clove before layering.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot, gently bring the milk to a boil.
- In a separate pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about one minute to create a roux. Gradually whisk the boiling milk into the roux mixture and continue to cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, reserving a small amount for the top layer of the lasagne.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour a thin layer of the prepared Bechamel sauce into the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of Barilla Oven Ready lasagne noodles over the sauce. Spread one-third of the sautéed vegetables evenly over the noodles, followed by more Bechamel sauce. Repeat this layering: another layer of noodles, the second third of vegetables, more Bechamel. Add a third layer of noodles, the remaining vegetables, and more Bechamel sauce. Top off the lasagne with a final layer of noodles and the last of the Bechamel. Sprinkle the reserved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Let the lasagne sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the layers to set and make for cleaner slices.
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- slightly adapted from Barilla
**This is a sponsored post from Barilla through Mom It Forward, but all opinions are my own.**