Summer Lasagne

summer lasagne   

Lasagne/lasagna?  Spell it how you will my friends.  It tastes just as good either way.  I am not a huge fan of hearty, meaty, tomato-ey lasagne, which is definitely a winter dish. Some readers may remember I don't go out of my way to eat pasta, but this one is light and summery, and does not leave you feeling that a small herd of elephants has taken up residence in your innards.

This is such an easy, uncomplicated dish, and leaves you feeling well-fed, and virtuous. Yes truly!  All those veggies dance across your palate and into your stomach like ballerinas' feet.  I have some bad memories of lasagne made by a friend who used lasagne sheets which should have been pre-cooked, but she didn't.  Oh my, talk about crunchy and heavy.  Never fear, you can't go wrong with the instant pasta sheets.


Serves 4

ingredients:

2-3 tbs olive oil for greasing the dish

2 tins of tomatoes, chopped

50g. kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

6 large instant lasagne sheets - no prior cooking needed:=)

150g. ham or any leftover meat like turkey or chicken, chopped

125g. mozzarella, grated

2 small zucchini, grated

50g. tasty cheese, grated

20g. parmesan, grated

salt and pepper to taste


Method:

Spread 1/4 cup of the tomatoes over the base of the generously oiled baking dish - I used a dish about 28cm x 22cm across the top, which fitted it splendidly

Plonk on 2 sheets of the lasagne side by side

Spoon on 3/4 cup tomatoes

Sprinkle with the ham, the olives and 1/4 cup of mozzarella (you will have about 1 cup left of the cheese)

Whack on 2 more sheets of lasagne

Spoon over 1 cup tomatoes

Sprinkle with the zucchini and 1/4 cup mozzarella

Yep - another layer (2 sheets) of lasagne goes on top

On goes the rest of the tomatoes and the remaining cheeses

Now add salt and pepper to the top - I threw on some chilli salt too

Bake for 35 mins. at 180C or till golden on top

Let it rest for a few minutes

Serve with salad and a nice glass of vino


Tips:

Follow the assembly instructions!  I tried to wing it one time and it just didn't work out the same.  The lasagne fairy did not approve!

If your tinned tomatoes are whole, do the Nigella thing - grab a pair of scissors and snip them in the tin or a bowl

Want a vego version?  Replace the ham with mushrooms

Want a bit more of a salty zing?  Throw in a few rinsed capers

  

snipping the tomatoes in a bowl; makes it easy to scoop them up with a cup  

slip on a glove and squeeze out those slippery little suckers          

tomatoes over the first layer of pasta - see how the large sheets fit side by side?               

scatter over the olives, 1/4 cup mozzarella and ham - or in this case, left over turkey (no, not from Xmas silly)    

zukes on top -  look at all that veggie goodness:)     

the remaining tomatoes and cheeses go on  top    

now chuck on the salt and pepper   

all golden and crunchy - in a good way    

hoe in folks!  

I first found this recipe as part of an ad for tinned tomatoes.  I have made it regularly since then, with a few tweaks.  Mr P. is a bread and pasta fiend so this goes down very well with him.  And yes even with me, regardless of it being a tomato-ey pasta dish. Like I have said before, who said you have to be consistent? :=)

my zucchini foodle