Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 700 g peeled canned tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• Nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 3 eggplants
• 300 g ricotta
• 50 g freshly grated Parmesan
• 150 ml milk
• 250 g lasagna sheets (pre-cooked)
• 100 g basil pesto (jarred)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and halve two garlic cloves. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion for 3–4 minutes until translucent. Add tomatoes and garlic, bring to a boil, then simmer over high heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

2. 2.

   Wash eggplants and cut into bite-sized cubes. Soak in cold salted water for about 15 minutes, then drain well and sauté in another pan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Peel the remaining garlic cloves, finely chop them, and add to the pan. Remove from heat once the eggplant cubes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3. 3.

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan; gas: level 3). Whisk ricotta with Parmesan and 150 ml milk until creamy. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add more milk if needed.

4. 4.

   Pour tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Layer lasagna sheets over it, then spread some eggplant cubes on top, followed by another layer of sauce and 1–2 tbsp pesto.

5. 5.

   Continue layering until all ingredients are used, finishing with eggplant on top. Spread 2–3 tbsp pesto over the final layer. Spoon the ricotta mixture as the topmost layer and spread evenly. Place the baking dish in the hot oven and bake the vegetable lasagna for about 45 minutes until golden brown. Serve garnished with fresh arugula if desired.