Roasted summer veggie lasagna (in winter)

The other night, I finally broke out my Frugal Foodie Cookbook in hopes of finding a comfort food recipe for dinner. This meal was also being eaten during the filming of "Food, Inc." in my apartment, so I wanted to make sure it was meatless. Thankfully, the Frugal Foodie has a vegetarian section, and Roasted Summer Veggie Lasagna was one of the more comforting recipes. Even though the ingredient list asked for a lot of seasonal summer produce, the only item I had to omit was zucchini.

The end result was fantastic, and the lasagna was chocked full of flavorful, fresh vegetables. The pesto/ricotta cheese mixture also made a huge (and satisfying) difference to the dish. Even though I highly suggest you buy a copy of this cookbook for your own culinary book shelf, I really want to share this recipe with you here. So, here it is, taken straight from the Frugal Foodie Cookbook:

Roasted Summer Veggie Lasagna

Total price: $20

Servings: 8

Price per serving: $2.50 (can't beat that!)

-2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly (1 yellow, 1 green)

-1 medium tomato, sliced thinly

-2 portabello mushrooms, sliced thinly

-2 peppers, sliced

-1 onion, sliced thinly 

-1 eggplant, sliced thinly

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1 box whole wheat lasagna pasta

-1/3 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade - I used store-bought)

-2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

-2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

-1 16-ounce jar tomato sauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (I skipped this step). Toss vegetables in oil and vinegar; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly across two baking sheets; roast 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Cook pasta until just barely done; mix pesto and ricotta together in bowl. In another bowl, combine mozzarella and Parmesan. When vegetables are done, turn oven to 325 degrees. Layer lasagna in 9" x 13" baking dish (I split mine into two baking dishes, because I don't have a 9" x 13") by adding sauce to bottom, then 3 noodles, 1/3 of pesto-ricotta mixture, 1/3 of vegetable mixture, then 1/4 of mozzarella-Parmesan mixture. Repeat twice, then add remaining mozzarella-Parmesan and any leftover vegetables or sauce on top. Bake 40 minutes uncovered; let site 10 minutes before serving. Freeze single portions in plastic containers for up to 6 months for easy weeknight meals.

The only other thing I would change the next time I make this: I'd cook the noodles for less time (if at all).

What's your favorite seasonal recipe to eat off-season?

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