How to Make the Best Vegetarian Home Made Lasagna

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If you listened to my daughter today, you would hear her describing every ingredient and texture in her meal in such detail and passion, it would make you salivate. From that, you would never know that she was very finicky eater.
It used to drive me crazy! Here I am, a chef as a mom and food enthusiastic for a father and yet my daughter’s diet consisted of three food groups: pasta, french fries and apples. Of course, I did not fight with her, but I also didn't give up on her changing her eating habits. I kept on cooking and introducing food for her.
Now, she only eats freshly prepared food, uses the freshest ingredients and isn't shy about trying anything.
I am happy.

When my daughter comes home from college she actually enjoys our company, loves to cook with me in the kitchen, and lovea to visit her friends from high school.Just a couple weeks before my daughter went back to college she wanted to have a couple of her  friends over for dinner and I wanted to make it extra special.  I decided to let them make the dinner and have fun doing it.

My daughter loves everything Italian, but has never had home-made pasta.  So, the menu was home-made vegetarian lasagna with tomato sauce and white sauce. The lasagna sheets are so thin that you can see through it.  Because of this you will need many layers, but it still manages to feel so light! Trust me when you try this home made lasagna sheet you will never go back to anything else.
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The fun started when the young ladies started to mix the pasta flour with fresh eggs to make the pasta dough.
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When the dough was resting I showed the ladies how to make fresh tomato sauce and fresh white sauce.  I have to admit the girls were having such fun that they over cooked the white sauce, it was too thick to spread,. It still tastes good.
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After couple hours, we divided the dough and started to run the dough through the pasta machine.
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The girls were intrigued with the thin pasta sheets.
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To assembled the vegetarian lasagna: We started with spreading tomato sauce in baking pan.  Lay couple sheets of the lasagna.  Top with more tomato sauce, couple lasagna sheets, white sauce and on .. until you have about 14-16 layers. Make sure that the last layer is tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, bake and savor.
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How to Make the Best Vegetarian Home Made Lasagna
Recipe Type: Home Made Vegetarian Lasagna
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Sanaa
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Learn how to make fresh pasta and savor the great flavors.
Ingredients
  • 2 3/4 cups durum pasta flour
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 32 ounce can tomato sauce--no corn syrup or salt--
  • 6 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 6 cups 2% milk
  • 6 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. To make the pasta dough:
  2. Put the flour in a mound on wood or plastic board and make a well in the center. Add the eggs, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and dash salt in the center. Gently incorporate the flour from the sides into the eggs. Continue in a circular motion until you have incorporated all the flour and you have a soft yellow dough.
  3. Knead the dough in a back and forth motion for 10 minutes. The dough should feel elastic and smooth. Wrap it in plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for one hour or tow.
  4. Set the pasta machine, cut the dough into 6 pieces and set the knob for number 1. Most machines will have knob with number fro 1-7 or 1-8. The higher the number the thinner the lasagna sheet.
  5. Flatten the dough with your hand, dust lightly with flour and start to flatten the dough. Start with no. 1 roll the pieces of the dough until all done and then go to number 2, then number 3 and on. Never skip a number. Lay the lasagna sheets on flat surface next to each other. Cut the lasagna strips to the size of the baking pan.
  6. To make the tomato sauce:
  7. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil, add the garlic and cook for few seconds. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fresh basil and set aside.
  8. To make the white sauce:
  9. Mix the corn starch with 1/4 cup of cold water. Add the milk, the ginger, the white pepper and salt. Place on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the sauce slightly thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  10. To make to lasagna:
  11. Spoon about 1 cup of the tomato sauce in baking pan. Top with several sheets of the fresh lasagna.
  12. Top with 1 cup of the tomato sauce and spread over the lasagna sheets. Top with several sheets of the fresh lasagna.
  13. Spoon 2 cups of the white sauce over the lasagna and spread over the sheet. Continue until you have about 16 layers.
  14. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  15. Bake in 395 F. degree oven for 35 mins.