Recipe: Roasted Lasagna

Here's what I'm serving to some dear friends tonight for supper, a lasagna big in flavor but small in calories and fat.  It's a meatless recipe, using root vegetables from the garden; kind of the last of this year's harvest.  It's got a whole wheat pasta, too, so you're getting fiber and whole grains.  I have included a little cheese, for protein, but that could be omitted if you wish.

Dr. Norris Chumley's Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

1 box whole-wheat lasagna noodles
5 parsnips
5 carrots
10 big leaves of kale, de-stemmed and torn into pieces
½ onion
½ pound skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 can or bottle (16oz.) tomato sauce (I like the herb and vegetable combinations)
a few sprinkles of grated low-fat Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese
herbs: some fresh (or dried) oregano and thyme

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Boil a big pot of water for the pasta.  Lightly spread 1 tablespoon olive oil on a baking sheet, then on a second one. Place the baking sheets in the oven and heat them up for 10 minutes.  In the meantime, place the kale in a smaller saucepan with a cube of bouillon and ½ cup water, cover, and steam the kale.  Slice the parsnips and carrots lengthwise, about ½ inch thick, so they're long and thin - the size of your finger.  Slice the onion into wedges, about ½ inch wide.  Place the dried pasta into the boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes, or for as long as it says on the box.  No need to add anything else: no oil, no salt, just boiling water.  Lightly stir occasionally.

Once the baking sheets are hot, but before the oil is allowed to burn, quickly place the carrots and parsnips onto the pans and pop them into the oven.  Be sure to only have one layer of vegetables, allowing plenty of room around each piece. Bake for about 30 minutes, and then test to see if they're done.  If not, continue baking for 10-20 minutes or so.  

Lightly grease an 8x12 metal or ceramic baking dish with about a teaspoon of olive oil.  Once the pasta is ready, drain and immediately soak the cooked lasagna noodles in cold water.  Remove the roasted vegetables.

Layer the pasta, vegetables, sauces, herbs and shredded cheese in about 5 or 6 layers, alternating them, as you like.  Make the top layer a combination of a little sauce, some shredded mozzarella, and a few sprinkles of Parmesan cheeses, for a gratin. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or so, checking every few minutes to see if the top cheeses have melted and slightly browned.

Serve piping hot with a nice salad on the side and some friends and family to share it with.  Be sure to say grace or a silent prayer before the meal, thanking God for the food and all that you are blessed with.

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