Healthy Veggie Lasagne
Fact: Any dinner with melted cheese on it is immediately satisfying and delicious.
Before I dazzle you with this veggie-licious lasagne let me tell you about my latest favorite kitchen appliance. My Kambrook Mix and Store Stick Mixer.
Kambrook was generous enough to hand out these nifty little bad boys out to every blogger at an event I went to (no strings! how nice!) and I'm in love with it so Imma tell you about it. (Also happens to have been the same day I ended up on TV NBD. #whataham).
Long Story: I recently mangled my Breville Stab mixer in my rushed attempt to blitz up my own mayo for the first time (brave, I know) but the dang thing would not fit into the mouth of a mason jar it was far too wide, so I transferred my egg/ oil mixture to a bowl where half of it splattered upon first whirr. Finally I tried using the chopping bowl the mixer actually came with but unfortunately that was designed for the chopping blade hence the little metal part on the bottom of the bowl. Crrrrrrunch it went on the metal knob.
Short Story: I broke my Breville mixer because I’m an idiot.
Would you look at this!! The Kambrook one not only fits nicely into a Mason jar it’s even dishwasher friendly. (My previous one was not). Yus!
Get to the point: So why in the world do I need a stab mixer to make lasagne? Because I upped the healthy factor with a layer of homemade pumpkin puree instead of a layer of cheese. It’s so easy you won’t even believe it.
Seriously, it’s going to take me longer to type out the instructions than it will for you to make this meal.
Here’s the story behind my recipe for a healthy veggie lasagne with hidden pumpkin puree.
It’s always a race against time to use my organic veggies from Aussie Farmers Direct before they wilt into oblivion.
I thought a lazy nice way to utilize a bunch of them without being too hippy-ish would be to layer them in a lasagne (the Italian in me always comes out in a pinch). I had a large organic eggplant and a half of a pumpkin sitting around but I didn’t want to go through all the work of slicing and roasting and peeling for my 'sagne so here’s the deal with the prep:
All you have to do is place the pumpkin in about a baking tray with about an inch of water, pulp side down, and bake at 175C for 45 minutes to an hour (I don’t even worry about pre-heating just shove it all in the oven as soon as you turn it on). When the pumpkin is done (test by sticking a fork in the thickest part), scoop out the insides and blend with a fab stab mixer while it’s still warm. Give it up for the Kambrook ya’ll! Sorry I do love it. The fact that it was free kinda makes me want to marry it but I'm #taken.
Slice the eggplant, skin on, and layer them with salt in a colander to drain out some of the liquid. You can totally skip this step if you don't have time.
Puree done and eggplant salting I sliced up a few organic tomatoes, grabbed my favorite go-to jar of canned tomato sauce, some instant lasagne sheets and and some shredded mozzarella cheese and got ready to chuck down all the layers.
Easy. Healthy. Naughty-tasting. The kids will eat it.
AuthorDawnCategorydinnerDifficultyBeginnerPumpkin Puree is a surprising addition to this speedy lasagne that lightens up a family favorite.
1 cup Jar of your go-to tomato pasta sauce
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Large Eggplant (or zucchini)
2 Tomatos Sliced
1 Box Instant Lasagne Sheets
1 ½ Cups Mozzarella or Pizza Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Season each layer
1
Preheat oven to 200C or 350F.
Prep the Eggplant (optional)
2
Slice into rounds.
3
Layer Eggplant and salt in a colander and allow water to bead out onto the eggplant.
4
Wait a few minutes for salt to draw water out. Dry/ wipe excess salt and water off the eggplant.
Build the Layers
5
Lightly coat the bottom of your baking dish with a spoonful or two of sauce and build the layers from there.
6
Place all the tomatoes at the bottom of the baking dish and season with S&P. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets.
7
Add layer of pumpkin puree.
8
Add layer of Eggplant or zucchini then a layer of lasagne sheets.
9
Cover with remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
10
Bake Covered at 200C for 45 minutes. Remove the foil/ cover and let the cheese brown for a few extra minutes.
11
Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Ingredients
1 cup Jar of your go-to tomato pasta sauce
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Large Eggplant (or zucchini)
2 Tomatos Sliced
1 Box Instant Lasagne Sheets
1 ½ Cups Mozzarella or Pizza Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Season each layer
