Jim Coleman: Veggie lasagna appeals to meat eaters and vegetarians

Q: I'm hoping you make vegetable lasagna and will send me your recipe. I'm having a dinner party and I know there are a few vegetarians coming. I was thinking that vegetable lasagna would be a good main dish. Do you have any suggestions as to what else I should serve? Many thanks.

- Erin P.

A: It sounds like you have hosted some good "mixed" parties before - you know, vegetarians and carnivores - because you have picked a main dish that is great for any company.

Good vegetable lasagna can be so satisfying that even the T-Rexes in your group won't miss their meat.

I've made vegetable lasagna numerous times, and I'm thrilled to share a couple of recipes with you. But you'll have to swear to me on your favorite kitchen gadget that you will experiment with them by trying different ingredients. Use the best vegetables that happen to be in season, and you will come up with a winner every time.

Lasagna is very sneaky. It can be very simple or extremely complex. It's soft and creamy and juicy in your mouth, and yet the bubbling, sharp cheese is the first aroma to tease your senses.

Lasagna is a little time-consuming to make, but it's also a lot of fun to experiment with. In the end you and everyone you serve will be rewarded with wonderful, lingering memories of your lasagna dinner party.

OK, maybe I'm getting a little melodramatic, but lasagna has that effect on people.

Consider the British historian who caused a ruckus when he announced (in Italy) that Britain invented lasagna. He got his information from one of the world's oldest surviving cookbooks, "The Forme of Cury," circa 1390, which includes a recipe for "loseyns" that involves layers of pasta and cheese sauce.

Italian chefs and even their embassy quickly issued a denial. Italian historians countered that long before the British even had a cuisine (some argue that they still don't have one), the Romans had a layered pasta dish called "lasanum."

I wasn't there, but I'm sure the Romans did not serve much with their dish, and it was still the hit of the toga parties. I suggest the same for you, Erin.

In this lasagna, you have plenty of starch and vegetables, so maybe just offer a salad (perhaps spinach or Caesar) and good, crusty bread with both butter and olive oil for dipping.

I hope you enjoy the recipes, and remember that when you're hosting a dinner for "mixed company," the conversation should steer clear of politics, religion, and foie gras. *

MIXED COMPANY VEGETABLE LASAGNA

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cups firmly packed, cleaned baby spinach

Kosher salt and freshly ground

black pepper to taste

3 eggs, lightly beaten

One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 1/2 cups marinara sauce

9 to 10 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups pesto (homemade or your favorite brand)

8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow onion to sweat, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. When onion starts to lightly brown, add garlic and red pepper and cook approximately 5 more minutes.

Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until just wilted, approximately 2 minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese together. Set aside.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Top with half of the spinach-onion mixture. Top with 1 cup of the marinara sauce.

Top with 3 more lasagna noodles. Spread all the pesto over those noodles. Top with the remaining spinach mixture, then the last three or four noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture and the rest of the marinara sauce.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese evenly on top.

Cover and bake in a preheated, 375-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more, or until the cheeses are browned and the lasagna is bubbly and hot. Serves 8-10.

ERIN'S VEGETABLE LASAGNA

8 ounces dry lasagna noodles

3 eggs, beaten

Two 15-ounce containers ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon dried Italian

seasoning, crushed

2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups whole milk

2 cups firmly packed, cleaned baby spinach, cooked and squeezed dry, or one 10-ounce package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 head broccoli, blanched and chopped, or one 10-ounce

package frozen, chopped

broccoli, thawed and drained

1 cup shredded carrot

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

8 ounces mozzarella cheese,

shredded

Cook the noodles for about 10 minutes until tender but firm, then drain and set aside. In a medium-size bowl, combine the Italian seasoning, ricotta, cottage cheese and eggs, then set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook 4 to 6 minutes, or until vegetables become soft. Add the pepper and flour. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes to make a roux. Add the milk and let mixture come to a boil while stirring. When it has thickened slightly, remove from the heat.

Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese along with the carrot, broccoli and spinach. Spray a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with non-stick spray. Layer the bottom with a third of the noodles. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese mix, and on top of that a layer of the vegetable mixture. Top that with a layer of the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat this process twice more, and put a layer of Parmesan cheese as the final topping.

Bake in a preheated, 350-degree oven for 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Makes 8-10 servings. *

Chef Jim Coleman, corporate chef at Normandy Farm and Blue Bell Country Insert Club, is the author of three cookbooks and hosts two nationally syndicated shows - "A Chef's Table," noon Saturdays on WHYY (91-FM); and "Flavors of America," 1 p.m. Saturdays on Channel 12 and 4:30 p.m. weekdays on CN8. He and his wife, writer Candace Hagan, will answer your questions. E-mail ChefColeman@aol.com.