Favorite Moosewood Entrées

I couldn't choose just three favorites from the entrées section of the New Moosewood Cookbook. There were too many gems!

The first recipe I chose ... Zucchini Crusted Pizza! Aaaah, I love this pizza. It's a refreshing change from a normal pizza crust and an excellent way to use up extra zucchini from your garden!  If only I had a garden ...

In a similar vein ... here is Cauliflower Cheese Pie. This is like a fancy quiche. So regal, so delicious. Even if you don't like cauliflower, just try this! I guarantee you will be a convert. It's tender and flavorful in this dish.

I made Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling with Charlie on Vashon Island early into this project. They were incredible! There's a dash of red pepper flakes in the filling which gives the calzones the perfect amount of heat.

Here's my all-time favorite from the entrées section of the New Moosewood Cookbook. Lasagna!  There are two parts to this recipe: making the sauce, then making the lasagna. Are you ready? You sure?  Here we go!

Lasagne with Italian Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Mollie Katzen's New Moosewood Cookbook

Have ready:
One batch of Italian Tomato Sauce
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (I promise it works!)
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 pound grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
A 9 x 13 inch pan

Italian Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 medium bell pepper
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1 heaping handful of fresh spinach
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly minced parsley

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or kettle. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, herbs, and salt. Saute over medium heat until the onion is very soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and black pepper. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook about 10 minutes more. At this point, the sauce can simmer for several hours. Add the parsley at the last minute.

Now you are ready to assemble the lasagna!

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spread a little sauce over the bottom of the pan.
3. Cover with a single layer of noodles, using 1/3 of them. Break as necessary to fit.
4. Place mounds of ricotta here and there. Use half.
5. Add 1/3 of the sauce followed by
6. 1/2 of the mozzarella, randomly scattered then
7. Another 1/3 of the noodles, and
8. The remaining ricotta followed by
9. Another 1/3 of the sauce, which gets covered by
10. The remaining mozzarella.
11. Add every last noodle, and
12. The final sauce.
13. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil toward the end of the baking if it is getting too brown. Let stand for ten minutes before serving.

A Happy Taste Notes
This is a recipe that requires a great deal of mise en place. Get every last bit together before starting your sauce and lasagna.
Live out your wildest veggie fantasies with the sauce. Sometimes I add kale or roasted garlic or fresh grape tomatoes. Check and see what's sneaking around in your crisper. Anything goes!
I have never cooked the noodles for this recipe. I promise it works to assemble with the uncooked noodles. It's so cool!
This lasagna also freezes well. Early this week I enjoyed a slice for lunch that I had kept in the freezer for about two months. Amazing!