Too hot to turn on the oven? Here’s a no-bake lasagna option that features seasonal fresh veggies. Ready in 30 min. or less. Can be made year round, just change the fresh veggies to match the seasons.
The temperature outside is going up! up! up! Which is great for summer time outdoor activities and vacations, but when it comes to preparing summer time meals, you probably don’t want to turn on the oven. Here’s a tasty light meal option that showcases fresh summer vegetables in a no-bake lasagna. Fresh veggies are grilled and served layered with pesto, ricotta cheese and chopped basil. The whole thing comes together in under 30 min. so you’ll still have lots of time to go out and enjoy the warm weather.
In this recipe I’m using zucchini, yellow squash, fresh summer corn, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and fava beans, but you can adapt to include any of your favorite summer vegetables.
Fava beans are at the height of their season at the moment, and although they require a little work to enjoy, they are well worth it! Shelling the fava beans is an easy process, and can be done by breaking the pod near the stem and “unzipping” the pod by pulling the string that runs down the middle of the pod. Once open you can easily remove the beans with your fingers or a spoon.
Fava beans have a slightly waxy covering. They are yummy and perfectly edible just as is, but if you prefer you can remove the waxy coating. I did for this recipe, because doing so reveals their gorgeous bright green color.
To assemble the lasagna, cut each lasagna noodle in thirds. Place one piece of noodle (1/3) on a plate , spread a spoonful of ricotta/pesto mixture evenly on noodle. Add zucchini, squash, tomato, asparagus, corn, and fava beans. Sprinkle with basil. Repeat layering twice. Garnish the top layer of veggies with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
- 8 large lasagna noodles
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 medium (or 2 small) zucchini, sliced into " half moons"
- 1 yellow squash, sliced into "half-moons"
- 8 asparagus spears
- 8-12 fresh fava beans (optional)
- ½ cup of corn ( fresh or canned)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 tbsp prepared pesto
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
- olive oil, for drizzling
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, cool slightly. Brush each side of noodle with olive oil so they don't stick together. Set aside.
- Combine ricotta cheese and pesto in a small bowl, set aside.
- Heat grill pan or grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl (or ziplock bag) drizzle cut zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and asparagus with olive oil to coat. Grill until vegetables are tender and grill marks are visible.Asparagus may take a little longer than other vegetable to cook. Cut asparagus into bite size pieces. Set vegetables aside.
- If using fresh corn, cut corn off the cob and heat in a microwave safe bowl covered with plastic wrap until tender. Approx. 15-20 sec., set aside.
- Shell fava beans by breaking the pod near the stem and pulling the string that runs down the middle of the pod. Beans are easily removed with your finger or a spoon. (usually 4-5 beans per pod). Fava beans have a slightly waxy looking layer which can be eaten just as is, if you prefer you can remove the waxy layer. Blanching the beans in hot water for approx. 30 sec. makes it very easy to remove the waxy layer.
- Assemble the lasagna. Cut each lasagna noodle in thirds. Place one piece of noodle (1/3) on plate , spread a spoonful of ricotta/pesto mixture evenly on noodle. Add zucchini, squash, tomato, asparagus, corn, and fava beans. Sprinkle with basil. Repeat layering twice. Garnish the top layer of veggies with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
Made this tonight, it was really good, a great new idea to make lasagna (for me anyway). I used edamame instead fava bc I had already been to the farmers market for the week before I knew I was making this. I had also bought a bunch of carrots from the market, and the green tops looked amazing, so I made a fresh pesto from them, which I used in this recipe. It was yummy. Even my 3 and 6 year old loved it. Oh yeah I added radishes to the veggies because they were on their way out (I roasted the veggies in the oven bc it was pouring and I didn’t want to grill), and I’ve never roasted radishes before, my new favorite way to eat them! Thanks for the new idea and great recipe.
wow! that sounds amazing! love the idea of using the carrot tops for the pesto. I’m a big fan of roasting pretty much any veggies. I haven’t tried radishes before,adding that to my list. Thanks for your feedback.