Ratatouille Lasagna With Basil Walnut Pesto

Intro: Ratatouille Lasagna With Basil Walnut Pesto

I had no idea how much my world would change after having a baby. I was battling through postpartum and dietary restrictions while nursing did not make it any easier! As if this was not enough, I had an unbelievably strong craving for lasagna which, unfortunately, calls for tomato sauce - another strict no-no in my nursing diet :( I decided to go ahead and try making lasagna without tomatoes and see what happens. You know, just for fun :) Fortunately, I was able to tolerate other night shade vegetables.

Finally here it is - ratatouille lasagna without tomatoes, onions or garlic. Not only is it yummy, but it's super nutritious with all the vegetables and the protein coming from the cheeses :D

STEP 1: Prep the Vegetables

1. Finely dice all the vegetables. It's important to keep the pieces small so it's easier to eat the lasagna later on :)

STEP 2: Make the Ricotta Filling

1. In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and mix until smooth and creamy
2. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and chopped basil and mix until incorporated. Set aside to use during assembly

STEP 3: Make the Ratatouille

1. On medium-low heat, add olive oil to a large saute pan. Once hot, add in all the herbs and saute until they turn aromatic
2. If using onion, add them now and saute for 5 minutes until they turn translucent.
3. Also give the kale a head start by adding it in next and sauteing for 2 to 3 minutes uncovered
4. Next add all the diced vegetables and salt. Mix well to combine and cook covered for about 10-12 minutes. I like to keep adding the condensation on the lid back into the pan to help the veggies cook
5. It's better to almost overcook the veggies so it's easier to use during assembly and eating

STEP 4: Prep Noodles

Boil lasagna noodles according to the instructions on the box

Note: This recipe is suitable for pre-boiled lasagna noodles. The no-boil ones require a more liquid sauce.

STEP 5: Make Pesto

1. To a blender, add walnuts and blend to a fine powder
2. Then add salt, pepper and cheese and blend again until incorporated
3. Chop basil and add to the blender along with the olive oil. Blend until combined
4. Optionally you can add water to help with the blending instead of oil to make a skinny version of pesto that's equally aromatic and delicious!

STEP 6: Assemble the Lasagna and Bake It!

Now, the ratatouille we made is the sauce. It's going to replace the tomato sauce that we would use in a traditional lasagna :) Make sure the cheese you use has non-animal rennet or non-animal enzymes :)

1. Start by adding a light layer of ratatouille to a lightly oiled 9x13 baking dish
2. Add 3 lasagna noodles and spread half of the ricotta filling on top of them
3. Add a generous amount of ratatouille on top
4. Sprinkle as much or as little cheese as you like :)
5. Repeat with the next 3 noodles to form another layer. Finish the ricotta filling here (you won't need it for the 3rd layer)
6. Finally, place the remaining 3 noodles. But this time, spread pesto on the noodles with a spoon or by hand. Again use as much or as little as you like! :)
7. Finally, top with some vegetarian parmesan cheese (make sure it doesn't have animal rennet)
8. Preheat oven to 350F and bake the lasagna for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned slightly brown
9. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving
10. Bon Appetit!

Comments

[dresch]

You had me at Walnut Pesto! Wow! Umami to the max.
(And to those of us without garlic restrictions...)
Now you have me thinking about other nuts or nut/seed combinations for pesto.
Thanks! Hope you and your baby are doing well.

[knu6543]

Aww thank you! Baby and I are both doing good now that it's been a few months. :) By all means try other nuts! Walnuts are super nutritious and blend easily so I use those, but other nuts/seeds would be just as yummy! And I'm sure garlic will amp up the flavor exponentially. :)

[indivisibl]

Mmm 😋 getting hungry just looking at it. I don't often see savoury recipes without a ton of onion which I can't eat so this is a nice change. Do you think I could replace the walnuts with something like almonds or would that ruin the taste?

[knu6543]

Glad this recipe is something you can make! :) I just use walnuts since they're easier to blend but almonds or cashews would work just as well! For faster pesto, you can also use almond flour ;)

[maker_soup]

So... you're telling me ratatouille is an actual food and not just the name of a movie...

[knu6543]

Haha yeah! It's a French vegetable stew :)

[jessyratfink]

This looks SO good!

[knu6543]

Thank you!