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1
Coat the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch pan or casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; set aside.
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2
In a large pot, add the salt to 5 to 6 quarts of water, bring it to a boil, and cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions (see Tip).
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3
Drain the noodles and separate them.
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4
To keep them from getting tangled, I drape them around the edges of the cooking pot.
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5
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium heat.
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6
Add the onion and zucchini, if using, and saute until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
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7
Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
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8
Spoon the vegetables into a bowl; set aside.
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9
In the same saute pan, cook the Italian sausage, if using, until it is no longer pink, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.
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10
Drain off the fat and add the cooked sausage to the vegetables.
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11
In the same saute pan (no need to wash it), melt the butter over medium heat.
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12
Add the breadcrumbs and stir until the butter evenly coats the crumbs.
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13
Remove the pan from the heat.
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14
In a bowl, lightly scramble the eggs with a fork.
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15
Stir in the ricotta, mascarpone, and oregano; set aside.
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16
To assemble the lasagna, place half the noodles on the bottom of the prepared pan or dish.
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17
In this order, add half the pesto, half the sliced tomatoes, half the sauteed vegetables, and half the ricotta mixture.
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18
Repeat the layers in the same order using the remaining ingredients, starting with noodles and ending with cheese.
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19
Spoon the buttered breadcrumbs over the top.
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20
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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21
Bake the lasagna until it bubbles around the edges and the breadcrumb topping is crisp and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
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22
Serve hot from the oven, warm, or even at room temperature.
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23
Whirl together the basil, garlic, salt, and pine nuts in the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
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24
With the machine running, if possible, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube until it is incorporated.
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25
Otherwise, add the olive oil with the other ingredients and process until combined.
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26
Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
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27
Its a sad irony that my college-age daughter, Frances, has developed an intolerance to dairy products, ingredients I use constantly in my work as a chef.
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28
Luckily, she still likes my food, and Ive learned to modify some of my recipes to keep her healthy, including lasagna.
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29
For Franny, I make homemade pesto as above but eliminate the Parmesan cheese.
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30
I use whatever veggies I have on hand, saute them as above, and mix them with a 28-ounce can of drained, diced tomatoes.
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31
Needless to say, the ricotta layer doesnt make the cut for my daughters lasagna, and instead of butter, I use an equal amount of olive oil to moisten the breadcrumbs.
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32
Franny loved the vegan lasagna hot the first night I made it for her andignoring my pleas to let me heat itshe ate it cold straight from the refrigerator the next day.
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33
The pesto can be made up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.
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34
Assemble the lasagna up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate.
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35
Bake the day you plan to serve it.
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36
When making lasagna, take care to cook the noodles only until just chewy (al dente, in Italian).
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37
Slight undercooking keeps the noodles from turning mushy when they are baked later.
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38
I prefer homemade breadcrumbs, easily made from the leftover bread I freeze just for this purpose.
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39
Toast bread until crisp and lightly browned, then cool to room temperature.
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40
Break the toast into pieces with your hands and whirl in a food processor or in a blender.
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41
For a more rustic look, simply crumble up the toast with your hands.
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42
If that seems like too much work, prepared breadcrumbs from the store work just fine, too.
