Gluten Free Veggie Lasagna

Prep Time: 1 hour

Bake Time: 45 minutes

For the Tomato Sauce

♦ One 28 ounce can San Marzano Whole Peeled Tomatoes

♦ 10 to 15 Fresh Basil Leaves, torn

♦ 2 to 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

♦ Kosher salt, to taste

For the Lasagna

♦ 3 medium sized eggplant

♦ 3 zucchini, yellow squash or striped squash, or a combination

♦ 16 ounces of fresh mozzarella, shredded by hand

♦ 1 ½ to 2 cups The Gambling Chef’s fresh ricotta, or other ricotta cheese

♦ 2 cups finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano (real Parmesan) cheese

♦ olive oil for cooking the vegetables

♦ Kosher salt for salting the vegetables

Cut the very top and bottom off the eggplant and slice them in about ¼ inch planks using a mandolin slicer (or carefully slice by hand).  Arrange a layer of eggplant in a dish or container and sprinkle some of the Kosher salt over the slices.  Place more of the eggplant over the top and sprinkle with salt.  Continue this process until you have sliced and salted all of the eggplant.  Repeat this process with the zucchini and/or squash, using a separate container.  The salt will continue to draw moisture out of the vegetables while you prepare the tomato sauce.

Empty the can of San Marzano tomatoes into a medium saucepan and squish them with your hands until they are broken up into small chunks.  Heat the tomatoes over medium high heat and add at least a teaspoon of Kosher salt.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes and stir in the olive oil.  Continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add the fresh basil.  You can use as little or as much as you would like.  Be sure to taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. 

Heat a large pan over medium heat.  Add a few teaspoons of olive oil to the pan and add a layer of the zucchini or squash.  Cook for a few minutes until lightly browned, then flip over and cook on the other side – the veggies should have a nice light color but should not be too mushy.  Remove the squash from the pan and place it on a plate or in a dish.  Repeat this process until all of the squash is cooked.  Repeat the same process with the eggplant, though eggplant has a tendency to stick so you will need to use slightly more oil between batches.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with olive oil and spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce evenly onto the bottom of the pan.  Arrange a layer of the eggplant over the sauce, slightly overlapping the slices.  Dollop ½ of the ricotta cheese over the eggplant, then sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella over the top.  Arrange a layer of the zucchini/squash over the cheese (going in the opposite direction of the eggplant), slightly overlapping the pieces.  Add another layer of the cheeses, then arrange the final layer of eggplant over the top.  Spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over the eggplant, then sprinkle all of the Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes (no need to cover with foil).  You can check the pan after 35 minutes and cover it with foil if you feel the top is getting too brown, but the finished lasagna should be golden brown and bubbly on top.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 25 minutes before serving (this will allow any juices to reabsorb).  This lasagna freezes extremely well.  Enjoy!