vegetarian entrees Archives - The Midnight Baker

Roasted Squash “Lasagna”

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Roasted Squash Lasagna

Here’s a great and tasty way to use those excess summer squashes–like zucchini! This roasted veggie “lasagna” doubles as a vegetarian main or delicious side dish.

The other day, my neighbor came bearing fruits–that being 2 huge zucchinis and 2 huge yellow squashes.

Now I love summer squash, and there’s about a zillion things to do with it, but this was quite a lot for me. I wanted to use them because, heck, they were fresh, organic and home grown.

Who doesn’t love roasted veggies? Particularly zucchini. I do and decided I was going to do a nice cheesy roasted squash lasagna.

Great way to use excess from the garden

I had some fontina left over from another project of mine so I used a combination of mozzarella (that I wanted to use up as well) and fontina. OF COURSE it had to contain my beloved Asiago too. I wanted crunch so added some buttered panko crumbs to top the whole thing off.

There’s steps involved in this, so it’s not 1-2-3 to make, however, the steps are simple–and worth it.

It’s a vegetarian entree too! Great for those nights you want to go meatless. And if you grow squash or someone gifts you with it, it’s a pretty economical meal too.

Roasted Squash “Lasagna”

4 medium-large summer squashes (yellow or zucchini)
2 large tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
8 oz mozzarella or fontina
1/2 cup shredded Asiago
2 tbs grated parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbs butter, melted
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly spray 2 large baking sheets.

Wash & dry squash. Cut lengthwise into pieces about 1/4-inch thick. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat all sides. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, if desired, to taste.

Roast squash about 20 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Lower oven temp to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease a deep 9 x 9-inch baking dish.

Slice tomatoes thinly. You can either shred the mozzarella/fontina or cut it in 1/8-inch slices (I prefer the slices–more rustic).

Add a layer of squash to the bottom of the pan. Lay cheese on top of squash. Layer tomatoes and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Repeat, ending with a squash layer (and any leftover tomato slices if you have any).

Mix panko crumbs with melted butter and top lasagna with them.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown and cheeses are completely melted.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side.

Roasted Squash Lasagna

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Cheesy Lasagna Rolls

Judith Hannemann — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Fancy enough for company! And a great way to use leftovers.

This meal is actually a leftovers story.I had so many things I wanted to use up before I forgot about them and they went bad–a continuing story around here.To start out, I had a little bit of roast chicken breast meat that would probably be about 1 cup chopped. I also had tag ends of bagged shredded cheese all over the fridge and not to mention a darned brick pack of chopped spinach that kept falling out of my freezer and onto my foot each time I opened the freezer door–hey, that HAD to go!!

I also had a half jar of marinara sauce that I had to keep moving around in the fridge–get the idea? Oh, and that half package of lasagna noodles in the cupboard that was taking up space….I waste FAR too much food and like most folks, I don’t have money to burn so I really want to use this stuff, not throw it out.OK, I did open a jar of alfredo sauce I’d bought because I wanted to see what it tasted like (I make my own all the time), and I did have a large container of ricotta I’d just bought.Bottom line is I didn’t care too much for that alfredo sauce, probably from being spoiled and making my own, so I mixed it with a bit of the marinara and found it improved the taste, so I used it.

But upon making these again, I’d either use all marinara or better yet, make my own rich, fattening and PACKED WITH CHEESE alfredo!BTW, dish can be made entirely meatless if the chicken is left out.

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Cheesy Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna rolls are the easiest lasagna recipe ever! Individual servings of your favorite comfort food.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lasagna, lasagna rolls

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 362kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded asiago
10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg beaten
1 cup shredded cooked chicken optional
26 oz marinara sauce (see notes)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella for topping

Instructions

Cook lasagna noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Squeeze all the water out of the spinach. Best way to do this is squeezing by hand I take small handfuls at a time and really squeeze the heck out of it. Place squeezed spinach in a. large bowl.
Add the ricotta, shredded cheeses, salt, pepper and chicken to the spinach and blend well. Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly.
Place about 1/2 cup of any sauce you use in the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baker; spread across the bottom.
Place about 1/3-1/2 cup of the spinach mixture onto each lasagna noodle, spreading it out and leaving about 1/2 inch at one end of the noodle without any filling. Roll up, rolling towards the unfilled end. Place seam side down in prepared pan. Repeat.
Pour remaining sauce over rolls in pan, taking care to cover the tops of the rolls with sauce. Distribute the 1/2 cup of mozzarella for topping evenly over rolls.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.

Notes

For the sauce: I mixed 1/2 prepared Alfredo sauce to 1/2 prepared marinara–which totaled about 2-3 cups of sauce. Feel free to use 100% of what you like! But if you want to mix the sauces, mix a teaspoon of each together and see if you like the taste first before committing.

*Bulk Italian sausage would be an excellent substitute for chicken, or omit meat for vegetarian lasagna rolls.

Nutrition

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Vegan Peanut Noodles: Meatless Monday

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Vegan Peanut Noodles

Delightful and filling dinner that is totally vegan! What a great way to celebrate Meatless Mondays!

This Meatless Monday entry is totally vegan! And guess what? It’s filling, satisfying and good for you too!

Udon noodles have a “chew” factor involved so you really feel you’ve eaten something substantial. Instead of creamy peanut butter, I used chunky…which I like better anyway.

You won’t feel you’re meat deprived with this one, promise!!! I ordered mine from Amazon since it works out way cheaper and I like to buy these in bulk. Use them a lot. They’re very convenient because they’re already cooked and have been improved so much because they separate much easier now than they did years ago.

Vegan Peanut Noodles

1 pkg (14.3 oz) Kame® Udon Noodles
1/2 cup sliced bok choi
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced grape tomatoes
2 tbs chopped red onion
10 snow peas
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs oil for frying
Sauce:
2 tbs chunky peanut butter
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup coconut milk
2-3 drops dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce

Mix all sauce ingredients. Sauce may be thinned with additional coconut milk, if desired.

Heat oil over high heat in a wok or large, deep skillet. Add bok choi, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir fry to 2 minutes.

Add the udon noodles and stir fry, separating gently ( a couple of tablespoons of water might help).

Add the sauce and blend well. Add the grape tomatoes, the snow peas and the red onion. Stir fry for one minute.

Serve immediately. Serves 2.

Vegan Peanut Noodles

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Barley Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Barley Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

Here’s a meal so delicious that you’d never guess it was healthy, let alone vegetarian as well.

As with any risotto, the dish requires almost constant stirring and adding the liquids in stages, but it’s not at all hard to do, and it’s a relatively short process.

The risotto can easily be converted to a total vegan meal by eliminating the grated cheese and the small amount of butter. I’d suggest an equal substitution of olive oil (or definitely truffle oil) for the butter. And toasted almonds would be a great addition here too.

If you are unsure of how to prep leeks, refer to the video in this post.

Barley Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

1 cup pearl barley
2 leeks, sliced and rinsed of sand
2 1/2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable stock (I used Knorr concentrated)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add barley and stir until lightly toasted; about 5 minutes.

Add prepared leeks (see the video in the link above), garlic and 1 1/2 cups of the sliced mushrooms. Stir and cook until mushrooms are heated through.

Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until all the stock is used. Add remaining mushrooms and cook for 5 min.

Add the butter and grated cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 3-4 main dish servings.

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