Get ready to celebrate a delicious but little-known holiday—National Lasagna Day! On July 29th, get your fix of delicious pasta, melty cheese, and savory, seasoned tomato sauce. A Maytag wall oven is the perfect way to make sure this Italian delight comes out just right. Maytag’s precision cooking and perfected convection will have your Lasagna Day feast on the table in no time, and achieve a golden, cheesy glow to die for. Try out this recipe for the perfect pasta dish on Lasagna Day.
Summer Veggie Lasagna
Fillings (select 5 or 6 of your favorites)
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 eggplant, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 5 oz baby spinach
Sauce
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup Italian basil
The Rest
• 10 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt
How to Make It:
1. Preheat your Maytag oven to 425 degrees.
2. While you’re waiting for the oven to heat up, prepare your veggies. Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and toss in your favorite veggies. Red bell peppers, carrots, and onions are all great choices, but you can add or substitute just about any veggie you want. Try some summer vegetables like zucchini and eggplant!
3. Stir your veggies until golden brown. Be sure to add spinach to the pan last, as it can quickly get overcooked. Once the veggies are cooked through but still crisp, set them aside.
4. Next, make the sauce. Drain the liquid from your canned tomatoes, then add them to a food processor. Combine with the basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Add a dash of salt and about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Blend until the mixture is pasty and easily spreadable, then pour into a bowl and set aside. You can also use premade marinara sauce, but a homemade sauce adds a special touch to the dish.
5. Clean out the food processor, then pour half of your cottage cheese into the machine and mix until it’s smooth. Pour into a separate bowl and set aside. Many recipes call for a more traditional ricotta cheese, but cottage cheese has a richer, creamier consistency, and lends a delicious, tangy flavor to the lasagna.
6. Transfer your cooked veggies to the food processor, and gently pulse them until they’re more finely chopped, but not completely blended. Scrape your veggies into the cottage cheese and fold together until thoroughly combined. Top with the rest of the cottage cheese and stir in about 1/2 tsp of salt to taste and plenty of ground pepper.
7. It’s time to put your lasagna together! Spread tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” pan, then layer 3 noodles over it. Spread about half the cottage cheese and veggie mixture over the noodles, add some more tomato sauce, and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top.
8. Add 3 more noodles, a layer of cottage cheese (no tomato sauce this time) and some shredded cheese. Top with the rest of your noodles and the remainder of the cottage cheese. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the top.
9. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Be careful not to let the foil touch the cheese! Stick the pan in your Maytag for about 18 minutes, then remove the foil and continue cooking for about 10 more minutes, until the cheese is a golden brown.
10. Allow the lasagna to cool for a few minutes once it’s done, then garnish with basil and serve!