If I haven’t mentioned it enough, I’m on vacation. Today I’m hanging around Diagon Alley with my boy Harry Potter and tomorrow I get on a cruise to the Bahamas. I’ll be sure to send some sunshine your way and drink an extra mojito for you.
Today I have Marcie from Flavor the moments here guest posting. Are you following Marcie yet? She has a strong passion for food and just finished a program at a cooking school, which makes me all around pretty jealous. We share a love of cheese and her blog is loaded with tasty recipes. Plus, apparently she knows that lasagna is a food weakness of mine! Be sure to follow her blog (links under her post).
Hi, I’m Marcie from Flavor the Moments! I was honored when Kelly asked me to guest post here because I’ve been following her for a long time – in a blogging sort of way, of course. 🙂 While I’m not vegetarian, I make vegetarian meals often, and I’m a complete geek about fresh produce. You can find me oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over it all at farmer’s markets everywhere. 🙂
I toiled a bit about what to make for Kelly. All she asked was that I make a vegetarian dish, which was easy, but guest posting is kind of like wondering what to make when someone comes over for dinner. You want to make something they’ll really like. I know she loves cookies. I know she loves bread. I know she loves cheese. Well, I latched onto the cheese thing and thought lasagna would be perfect…a nice, hearty vegetarian lasagna.
This time of year we’re bombarded with holiday foods, which is nice, but when Thanksgiving is over, I need a reprieve for a while. My mind immediately goes to nice, rustic pasta dishes. There’s nothing like a hearty sauce layered with pasta and cheese is there? I hope you’re with me. 🙂
The word ragu often means a meat sauce, but this eggplant ragu is completely vegetarian. Why the word ragu, then? It also means “to stimulate the appetite” in Italian or French, and that definition suits this eggplant ragu perfectly, because it certainly stimulated my appetite.
This sauce has plenty of eggplant, roasted red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. The eggplant is so tender, it melts in your mouth like buttah, and the roasted peppers add a nice depth of flavor. The clincher is some balsamic vinegar added at the end, which works some major magic. This sauce is rustic, chunky, and absolutely bursting at the seams with flavor. 🙂
Lasagna is not complete without cheese, of course, so I spread a thin layer of ricotta over the lasagna noodles, then topped the sauce with thin slices of smoked mozzarella. I’ve had an eggplant-smoked mozzarella thing lately. Actually, it’s more than a thing, it’s a full blown thang. There’s a difference, you know. 😉
This is the kind of meal you need to escape the holiday fare and get a big dose of comfort food and veggies at the same time. And cheese! Let’s not forget that. Next time you want a healthy, veggie packed meal, look no further. Your veggie-full, cheesy lasagna awaits! 🙂
And thank you for having me, Kelly!
Vegetarian Lasagna with Eggplant Ragu – Guest Post from Flavor the Moments
Thanks so much Marcie for the guest post! I think all those veggies are the perfect excuse to eat a nice big pile of smoky cheese and noodles right when I get home 🙂
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Tagged with: Egg Free • Guest Post • Hidden Veggies • Pasta • Vegetarian
[…] Check out the recipe over at Hidden Fruits & Veggies! […]
I love Marcie’s blog and this fabulous veggie lasagna!!
Mmm this ragu looks FAB! Such a yummy dinner.
It was such a pleasure guest posting for you, Kelly, and I hope you have an amazing vacation! 🙂