The vegetables in this meatless lasagne are first roasted, giving them extra flavor and character. They can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, making assembly of the lasagne simple. This version is made without the traditional tomato sauce, incorporating fresh tomatoes into the layers instead. The zucchini and eggplant are roasted together, divided between two pans, while the tomatoes are roasted in their own pan because they release a lot of juice, which would inhibit browning of the zucchini and eggplant. If your oven will hold two pans side by side, then you will be able to roast everything at the same time on two racks. If not, roast the tomatoes as a separate batch. The lasagne is covered during a portion of the baking time because there is no tomato sauce; use a layer of breadcrumbs if desired.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and another in the upper third. Preheat the oven to 450┬░F. Lightly oil a 13 x 9 x 3-inch baking or lasagne pan.
Place in a large bowl:
2 medium-large eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds each), quartered and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
6 medium zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Pour over the vegetables:
1/2 cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Toss well to coat all the vegetable pieces with oil and remove to 2 roasting pans. Position the pans side by side in the oven or place 1 on each rack if they do not fit side by side. Roast for 20 minutes. Toss the vegetables with a metal spatula, scraping up the browned bits. Continue to roast until well browned and soft, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a large bowl. Place in a roasting pan:
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise
Drizzle over the tomatoes:
2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin
Generous amount of salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Roast the tomatoes until soft and slightly golden, about 45 minutes. Remove the tomatoes with their juice and all the oil to the bowl with the vegetables and stir together well.
When the water boils, add and cook until barely tender:
1 pound fresh lasagne or 1 pound dried lasagne
Drain and separate the noodles. Keep in a bowl of ice water. To assemble the lasagne, arrange a layer of noodles over the bottom of the pan. Spread with one-third of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle one-quarter of the mozzarella over the ricotta mixture along with:
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
Spoon one-third of the roasted vegetables on top. Add another layer of noodles and continue layering the lasagne until all the ingredients are used. You will have 4 layers of pasta and 3 layers of filling. Sprinkle the final one-quarter of the mozzarella over the top along with:
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (optional)
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until golden and bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
