Recipe ID: MRP5.9

Measure: 1X

Prep Time: 20 min(s)

Cook Time: 100 min(s)

Total Time: 120 min(s)

Yield:  4 - 6 moderate serving(s)

Dish Type: Pasta & Pizza

Level of Difficulty: Advanced

Method: Stovetop & Oven

Description:

We all love a beautiful dish such as the heart-warming flavorful vegetable lasagna. This dish is created by adding the bold flavors of Pear Foods Piquant Peppercorn Blend to a homemade tomato sauce and by adding 3 layers of veggie goodness with roasted eggplants, zucchini and caramelized onions. The Piquant Vegetable Lasagna is the Ultimate go-to for comfort dishes for all ages and you will love the flavor bursts of this dish when you share it with your family and friends.

Ingredients:

• Pear Dry Bloom Technique for blooming the spice:
• 1 tsp Pear Foods Piquant Peppercorn Blend

• For Caramelized Onions:
• 1 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 - 11/2 sweet or red onions (thinly sliced)
• 1/8 tsp salt (add to taste)
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Pear Foods Piquant Peppercorn Blend (add to taste)

• For Roasted Vegetables:
• A few tbsp olive oil
• 2 - 3 long Japanese eggplants (sliced to thin long slices | roasted or grilled)
• 2 - 3 zucchini (sliced to thin long slices | roasted or grilled)
• 1/4 tsp salt (add to taste)

• For Tomato Sauce:
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 - 4 garlic cloves (sliced)
• 1/3 onion (chopped)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes (canned San Marzano tomatoes preferred)
• 1/3 c vegetable stock
• 1/2 c water
• 1/8 tsp red chili flakes (optional | add to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Pear Foods Piquant Peppercorn Blend
• 1/8 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt (add to taste)
• 2 tbsp basil leaves (finely cut)

• For Ultimate Piquant Vegetable Lasagna:
• 1 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
• 9 Lasagna pasta sheets (cooked as per the package directions)
• 8 - 12 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 2 - 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese (grated)

Directions:

• Make-It-Easy Pointers:
• Have your MiseEnPlace ready before you start cooking.
• Note on saving cook time:
• Start with Pear Dry Blooming of Piquant Peppercorn Blend.
• In the first half hour, double task by cooking caramelized onions and roasting or grilling the zucchini and eggplant.
• In the second half hour, double task by making tomato sauce in one cook top. On the other cook top, cook the pasta.
• In the third half hour, assemble and bake the vegetable lasagna.

• Pear Dry Bloom Technique for blooming the spice:
• Set the cook top to medium heat. Place a small frying pan over the cook top and let it warm up.
• Place a drop of room temperature water in the center of the pan. If it dances like a bubble around the pan or sizzles and evaporates, the pan is hot enough. Turn the cook top heat to low.
• Add 1 tsp of the Pear Foods Piquant Peppercorn Blend and stir it around in the pan for 15 to 45 seconds for the spice blend to bloom until a wonderful aroma arises from the spices.
• Transfer the bloomed spice blend from the hot pan to a bowl. Reserve to use in the recipe.

• For Caramelized Onions:
• In a chef's pan or sauté pan, add the butter and the cooking oil.
• When the butter melts, add the sliced onions, salt, sugar and Pear Foods Piquant Peppercorn blend and sauté it for about 15 to 20 minutes on medium to medium-high heat to caramelize the onions.
• Keep stirring from time to time to avoid burning of the ingredients. When the onions are cooked and well caramelized (turns to golden brown), reserve to use in the recipe.

• For Roasted Vegetables:
• Using the chef's knife or a mandolin slicer, slice the zucchini and eggplant into thin long slices.
• In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil and salt on top of the vegetable slices and coat them well.
• Cook the slices for a minute to two minutes on each side until they are roasted well. Transfer to a plate and reserve for later use in the recipe.

• For Tomato Sauce:
• Set the heat to medium on the cook top. In a chef's pan or sauce pot, add the olive oil.
• When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and sauté for a minute until the garlic develops a cooked aroma.
• Then add the onions and the salt and sauté until the onion becomes translucent and cooked aroma arises, for about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock and water and cook for 5 minutes. Then set the heat to medium low and cook the tomatoes for about 25 minutes. Let the tomato sauce simmer and cook. Stir from time to time. If it dries up or sticks to the pot, add 2 tbsp of water at a time.
• Cool and transfer to a blend jar and grind to smooth consistency or the consistency desired.
• Season with salt, chili flakes, sugar and Pear Foods Peppercorn Blend and mix well to combine. Add basil and mix well. Reserve the sauce to use in the recipe. 

• For Ultimate Piquant Vegetable Lasagna:
• Cook the pasta sheets according to the directions on the package.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in microwave. To a 9-inch baking (lasagna) dish, apply melted butter to all the inner sides of the dish.
• Let's start to build the Ultimate Piquant Vegetable Lasagna one layer at a time, starting with a tomato sauce layer first:
• Then start adding the following layers:
• Lasagna pasta layer
• Tomato sauce layer
• Eggplant layer
• Zucchini layer
• Caramelized onion layer
• Tomato sauce layer
• Mozzarella cheese layer
• Repeat the layers all the way to the top of the dish:
• When you almost reach the top of the dish, finish with the following layers:
• Cooked pasta lasagna sheet layer
• Tomato sauce layer
• Mozzarella cheese layer
• Parmesan cheese layer
• Cover the top of the baking dish with aluminum foil. Make a few perforations on the aluminum foil for the steam to escape. Place the dish in the oven and set the cooking time. The dish takes about 25 - 30 minutes to bake.
• Halfway through the cooking process, take the dish out of the oven and remove the aluminum foil from the top of the baking dish carefully. Remember, the dish and the contents are very hot. Place it back it the oven.
• Check the dish at 20 - 25 minutes of the cooking time for a well baked lasagna topped with golden color crust. Remove the lasagna dish from the oven promptly. Allow the dish to cool for 10 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Serve the Ultimate Piquant Vegetable Lasagna warm with toasted garlic bread on the side. Enjoy!

Variations:

• Try this recipe with other vegetables and protein of your choice
• Make this a vegan recipe by substituting butter with a vegan choice.

Notes:

If you love this recipe, then try our other recipes.

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