Making lasagna with leftover vegatables

As with most people I know, life is more hectic than ever. To battle the Monday to Friday insanity, Sundays have become less of a day off and more of an opportunity to prep for the work week ahead. Mornings are spent getting articles ready and afternoons have become our time to prepare food for the week ahead. It’s also time to get rid of the last of the previous week’s vegetables. You know the ones you had every intention of serving at dinner on Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday and so on.

Just about every vegetable benefits from roasting, as the high heat helps convert starches to sugar. You really can’t make a mistake with roasting. While you can adjust spices and seasonings according to the individual veggie, more often than not I rely on two simple ingredients, olive oil and salt.

My recipe is a quick toss in olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and then place in a hot oven. When the vegetables are browned and soft, their done, but hey, even if you leave it in a little longer than expected there is also something delicious about crispy, veering on burnt vegetables.

Of course, cooking times vary depending on the vegetable, ranging from quick roasting options such as asparagus, to beets, which invariably take well in excess of an hour (depending on the size) to achieve the desired level of tenderness. My personal favourite is roast fennel. Fennel is a natural digestif. Many Italians enjoy it raw, tossed with a little olive oil, salt and lemon juice as a post dinner salad. I prefer to slice it thinly and roast it, which brings out an incredible amount of sweetness in the fennel.

Leftover Roasted Fennel and Pepper Lasagna

2 cups ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 litre homemade tomato sauce

15 oven-ready lasagna noodles

2 fennel, fonds removed, thinly sliced, roasted

3 bell peppers, roasted, skins removed, seeds removed, sliced

Method: Place ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan in a bowl, mix. Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of 13” x 9” pan. Place a layer of lasagna noodles (5) on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Top with slices of the roasted fennel. Add a layer of lasagna noodles (5). Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Top with roast peppers. Add final layer of noodles. Top with remaining cheese and sauce. Cover pan with foil. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 °F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

What to Drink?

Well, it is lasagna after all. The rich flavours of lasagna beg for an Italian red with a little substance and body. Forego light Valpolicellas or Chianti and reach for a robust Southern Italian red such as a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Illumanti Riparosso D’Abruzzo ($16.29, NSLC) offers the rich, robust flavours perfect to pair with this lasagna dish.

Mark DeWolf is The Chronicle Herald’s resident Sommelier and Manager of Custom Content, Food and Wine as well as President of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers’ Atlantic Chapter.