gimme some oven

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We’ve had mixed results with our garden this year.  Thanks to a few weeks of some blazing summer heat (which scorched a few plants), and one of our trees that randomly decided to grow like crazy directly over the garden (blocking the sun over a third of the bed)…we didn’t get quite the harvest we expected.  But we definitely had tremendous success in one area — tomatoes!

Actually, all of our tomato plants have been going crazy, but there is without a doubt one leader of the pack — this one huge cherry tomato plant.  Apparently it’s going for the gold — I’ve never had so many cherry tomatoes in my life!  So fun to eat and share with friends.  :)

One of the recipes I was looking forward to trying with them this summer was a simple no-bake vegetable lasagna.  I’ve seen this approach for years, but have somehow never tried it myself.  So last week, I (very briefly) heated up the stove to boil the lasagna noodles and saute the veggies (kept it simple with zucchini/squash).  And then had maybe a little too much fun playing with my food and assembling these cuties.  Since I was just cooking for me, myself and I that day — I quartered the recipe.

And while I must admit, the word “lasagna” in my mind has always equaled “WORK” — these little guys were completely simple!  I pretty much followed Martha’s recipe and kept things totally simple (with yummy, vegetarian ingredients), and they came together in about 20 minutes total, and were completely delightful!  I loved the no-sauce approach — just fresh, light, delicious ingredients.  And a perfect way to use up some cherry tomatoes.  AND, I didn’t even have to heat up my oven. Yessss!

Can’t wait to give this a try with some other creative ingredients soon!

No-Bake Summer Lasagna Recipe
(Adapted from Everyday Food)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 lasagna noodles
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 2 zucchini (about 1 lb) — I used half zucchini, half yellow squash
• small handful fresh basil (optional)

Method:

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, and 2 tsp oil; season with salt and pepper. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add garlic (minced) and tomatoes (halved); season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until slightly broken down, about 3 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon oil, zucchini and squash (sliced thinly) to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to another bowl and stir in basil (torn).

Place some tomatoes on four plates; top with a noodle and small spoonfuls ricotta, zucchini, add more tomatoes. Repeat layering twice, then top with remaining noodles and tomatoes. Garnish with basil.