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Lasagne is, without doubt, one of the best comfort foods known to man. And when it comes to vegetarian lasagnes, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be as deliciously comforting as meat ones – but for some reason, they often fail. Not this courgette lasagne, however!
It’s hearty, cheesy and super flavourful and – when served with garlic bread on the side – a brilliant dinner for a crowd.
This is a simple and achievable recipe that you can make in advance and reheat as needed.
Courgette Lasagne – The Ingredients
The Courgette
Let’s start with the most important ingredient- the courgette (or zucchini, as it’s known in a large proportion of the world). I love courgettes but any gardener will know that the glut of them at the end of the year can be quite a bind to use up. There are only so many ratatouilles and courgette soups you can make. This recipe highlights the joy of the simple courgette and – by mixing it with ricotta – makes it a cheesy delight. I wouldn’t recommend subbing the courgette for any other vegetable.
The tomato sauce
This lasagne uses a beautifully simple tomato sauce, made from onions, garlic, red wine and tomatoes. This is one you can use time and again and for many other pasta dishes. If you don’t want to use wine, just sub for a little water and cook gently for 10 minutes longer to ensure the flavour is there.
The lasagne
I used fresh lasagne sheets here – I always do for veggie lasagnes. You can use dried, but cook the lasagne for 50 minutes if you do (covered with tin foil for the first 30 minutes).
The cheese
The most important part! This lasagne uses three different cheeses and, if I’m honest, it needs all of them. At a push, you could substitute the grana padano for grated cheddar, but you really need to include the ricotta and mozzarella.
Cooking Tips
I have a few tips to help you make this lasagne the best it can be:
Following the recipe exactly will leave your courgette with a bit of crunch. I love this in the dish – it adds a bite and freshness- but if you don’t think you will, cook the courgettes on the hob for an extra 10 minutes to soften them.
The longer you simmer the tomato sauce for, the better. Keep an eye on it – don’t cook it too quickly or it could reduce too much. If it does, add a dash of water.
The speed at which your mozzarella on top will turn golden will depend on the type of mozzarella you have bought and your oven. Keep a close eye on it – if it starts to turn too brown before the cooking time is up, cover it with tin foil.
If you like this recipe, you might also like my spinach and ricotta cannelloni.
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Courgette Lasagne
Save This RecipeIngredients
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small glass red wine
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 4 large courgettes
- 250 g ricotta
- 6 fresh lasagne sheets
- 150 g mozzarella
- 50 g grana padano grated
Instructions
- Start by making the tomato sauce. Finely chop two of the garlic cloves and the onion and add to a saucepan with half of the olive oil. Sizzle on a medium high heat for two minutes, then pour in the red wine and allow to simmer down. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, add the mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the courgettes.
- Finely slice the remaining two cloves of garlic and finely chop the courgettes. Add to another saucepan with the remaining olive oil and cook on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until the courgette has started to soften. Then turn off the heat and stir in the ricotta.
- To layer the lasagne, start with a spoonful of the tomato sauce, then a third of the lasagne sheets. Top with half of the courgette mix and half of the remaining tomato sauce, then another third of the lasagne sheets. Next, the remaining courgette mix, the last third of lasagne sheets and top with the last of the tomato sauce.
- Slice the mozzarella and place evenly on top. Sprinkle with the grana padano. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden and sizzling.
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