Greek-Style Lasagna Recipe With Zucchini And Eggplant
Saucy and delicious. Loaded with Mediterranean vegetables like zucchinis, eggplants, and peppers.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: cheese, Dinner, Oven baked, pasta
Servings: 6 pieces
Calories: 737kcal
For the base:
- 1 package of Barilla's lasagna (9 ounce package of 12)
For the tomato sauce:
- 500 grams canned tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
For the bechamel cream:
- 6 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 600 grams fresh milk
- 1 egg
For the filling:
- 1 large eggplant half peeled and cut into ½ cm thick slices
- 1 large zucchini cut into ½ cm thick slices
- 1 bell pepper any color you like ( I used an orange one to make it more colorful)
- 125 grams Greek kefalotyri cheese or Romano cheese grated
- salt and pepper
For the tomato sauce:
In a small cooking pot over high heat, add the tomato sauce, olive oil, dried oregano, and sugar. Fill the empty can of the tomato sauce with water. Pour the water into the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Once it starts boiling, reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes.
Taste the sauce before removing it from heat. It should be slightly sweet and not too sour. Plus it should look more like a lightly thickened soup than a thick sauce (for the lasagna to soak) . If not add a bit more water and simmer for a few more minutes.
For the bechamel cream:
In a medium-sized cooking pot, whisk together the sunflower oil and flour. Cook over high heat for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly.
Reduce heat to medium and pour in the milk. Keep whisking until the cream starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
(Do not worry about small crumbles formed by the flour. They will dissolve once the cream starts to thicken).
Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes before you whisk in the egg.
For the filling:
Cover a pan with frying oil (about a finger high) and heat over high heat.
Fry the eggplant for 3-4 minutes until they get a nice golden color. Set aside on paper towels.
Fry the zucchini for about 5 minutes until they get a golden color too. Set aside on paper towels as well.
Reduce heat to medium. Cut the pepper into large squares and add it to the pan. Saute the pepper for 2-3 minutes, until it softens on the outside while it remains crispy on the inside.
Once the vegetables cool down a bit, coarsely chop them and mix them together in a bowl.
Constraction:
Preheat oven at 230 °C/446°F.
Using a ladle add a spoonful of the sauce into a 9x13 inch baking pan (23x31 cm). Arrange 3 pieces of lasagna on top of the sauce.
Sprinkle with a handful of the vegetable mix. Pour a bit more tomato sauce unevenly and a ladle full of cream. Coat lightly with the grated cheese and proceed to the next layer. Repeat process for the next layers until you use all the ingredients.
Once you reach the top layer push the lasagna a bit downwards (for the sauce to come on top). Add remaining sauce and cream and coat with cheese (no veggies on the top layer). You should have no more than 3-4 layers of lasagna. Otherwise the sauce and cream won't be enough to cover them.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy!
I used Barillas Lasagna 9 ounce package in this recipe. They're oven ready and do not require any boiling. I find Barilla's pasta to be one of the best. So here it is if you want to try it. And also a good quality of tomato sauce that you can use for this recipe (with no additives).
Disclaimer: Please note that If you make a purchase through any of these links above, it will earn me a small commission.
Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 743mg | Potassium: 678mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g