Entertaining Italian

Jo Barrett's zucchini, ricotta and sundried tomato lasagne

Name: Zucchini, ricotta and sundried tomato lasagne recipe
Yield: 9
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; 1 onion, finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 bunch silverbeet, leaves picked and chopped, stems sliced; 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced; 200g semi-dried tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped; 1/3 cup (90g) tomato paste; 1 bunch English spinach, stems removed, leaves chopped; 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 1kg fresh ricotta, drained; Finely grated zest & juice of 2 lemons; 1 cup (150g) macadamias, toasted, roughly chopped; 1/2 cup (40g) grated parmesan, plus extra to sprinkle; 3 medium zucchini, cut to 3mm-thick strips (we used a mandoline); 1/2 bunch basil, leaves picked, torn, plus extra whole leaves to serve; 250g store-bought fresh lasagne sheets, blanched and refreshed

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by Jo Barrett

Jul 20, 2020

“When I cook at home I like to pack my meals with lots of vegies. This lasagne is very textural and a different spin on the classic. Plus it uses less pasta, more vegetables, and you don’t miss out on that lasagne feeling,” says Jo Barrett.

1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bunch silverbeet, leaves picked and chopped, stems sliced
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
200g semi-dried tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
1/3 cup (90g) tomato paste
1 bunch English spinach, stems removed, leaves chopped
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1kg fresh ricotta, drained
Finely grated zest & juice of 2 lemons
1 cup (150g) macadamias, toasted, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (40g) grated parmesan, plus extra to sprinkle
3 medium zucchini, cut to 3mm-thick strips (we used a mandoline)
1/2 bunch basil, leaves picked, torn, plus extra whole leaves to serve
250g store-bought fresh lasagne sheets, blanched and refreshed

Method

1.

Place oil in a large, deep non-stick frypan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, silverbeet stems and chilli and cooking, stirring, for 10-12 minutes until the onion and stems have softened. Add the semi-dried tomatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes until tomato paste has caramelised. Stir in the silverbeet leaves and spinach and cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes until leaves have wilted (add in batches if your frypan isn’t big enough). Season and add the nutmeg. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until some of the moisture evaporates (not too much, this layer will help moisten the pasta). Set aside.
2.

Place ricotta, lemon zest, juice, 100g chopped macadamia and parmesan in a bowl. Season and stir to combine. Set aside.
3.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a deep 2.5L-capacity ovenproof dish.
4.

Spoon a thin layer of braised greens over the base of the dish, followed by a single layer of lasange sheets, trimmed to fit the pan. Top the pasta with half of the remaining greens mixture, making sure the layer is thick enough so that you don’t see the pasta underneath, then top with some torn basil leaves. Arrange one-third of the sliced zucchini in a single layer to cover all of the greens. Top with a 5mm-thick layer of ricotta mixture, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets. Continue layering with remaining greens, torn basil and one-third of the zucchini. Top with a final layer of pasta, then spread with a thin layer of ricotta mixture on top. Add remaining one-third of zucchini slices and cover with remaining ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with extra parmesan.
5.

Cook for 45-50 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 15 minutes. Scatter with remaining 50g toasted macadamia and extra basil leaves to serve.