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This recipe is inspired by a very dear school memory, “Yola Pizza”: Yola is a friend of my mother’s best friend, Alexandra, who, for some reason I cannot understand, called her lasagne pizza. Every time I went to Alexandra’s house after school, I asked her mom to make Yola pizza! I’m sure Mrs. Yola’s recipe is completely different, but I remember the many layers that hide in juicy tomatoes, vegetables and olives, which is what makes it inspirational. I generally avoid dairy, but I make an exception twice a year to make this lasagne and I eat a little ricotta cheese as well, because the combination with lemon and basil is simply amazing. It’s a bit of a hassle, but it’s worth it! Perfect for a family Sunday meal!
Ingredients for a large pan:
For the tomato sauce
– 3 spoons of olive oil
– 1 onion
– 3 cloves of garlic
– 1 fresh chilli
– 25 olives
– 2 spoons of capers
– 4 large tomatoes
– 500 gr of tomato paste
– 20 sheets of fresh basil, cut into small pieces
– salted pepper
For the vegetables:
– 2 spoons of olive oil
– 1 eggplant, sliced thinly
– 2 courgettes, cut into thin slices
– 1 box of fresh mushrooms
– 300 gr of fresh spinach
– 1 clove of garlic
– Salt
For the ricotta and lemon sauce:
– 500 gr ricotta cheese
– 1 lemon, you will need both its zest and juice
– 1 handful of basil, cut into small pieces
– salt and pepper
1 package of whole grain lasagne leaves
To make the tomato sauce: cut the onion, garlic and chili into small pieces and sauté them in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the olives, capers and fresh tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Cook on moderate heat for about 10 minutes, close the lid, lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
For vegetables: spread olive oil and salt on the zucchini and eggplant and put them in the grill at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes until they lose their water. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, add garlic, cut mushrooms and spinach and sauté for a few minutes.
For the ricotta: Empty the ricotta in a bowl, add lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper and stir.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Put a layer of tomato sauce in a pan, cover with a layer of lasagne (about 4 sheets per layer), a layer of ricotta, a layer of vegetables, a layer of spinach / mushrooms and finally a layer of tomato sauce. Repeat for about 2-3 times. After you put the last layer of lasagne, pour the tomato sauce and ricotta on top. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the pasta softens.