Published September 1, 2011. From Cook's Illustrated.
Many problems plague vegetable lasagna—soggy vegetables, grainy ricotta, and dull tomato sauce—to name a few. We began by fixing the vegetables. Precooking eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, and spinach not only reduced their juices but also concentrated their flavor. To add richness to the lasagna, we made a no-cook sauce consisting of tangy cottage cheese (not grainy like ricotta), heavy cream, Parmesan, and garlic. And to add brightness, we made a quick, no-cook tomato sauce with crushed tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. These two sauces, along with our improved vegetables, sandwiched between no-boil lasagna noodles and topped with melt-y mozzarella cheese, created an unbeatable lasagna.
We prefer the lasagna made with our favorite wholemilk, block-style mozzarella from Sorrento, but Kraft part-skim preshredded mozzarella is also fine. Our preferred brands of crushed tomato are Tuttorosso and Muir Glen.
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