My summer vegetable garden is waning. This as been a sad year for gardens. So much rain, so much humidity. Cool nights and sporatic sunshine. But I’m in the mood for cooking up something that will use the ricotta I have in the fridge before it expires. Something cheesy and scrumptious. With summer squash perhaps?
Earlier today I harvested some lovely tomatoes and cucumbers from plants generously given to me at the beginning of summer. Much to my delight I was surprised by two lovely zucchini stretching their necks out from under the waterlogged yellow leaves of the plant. Just enough to make a zuccini lasagna. Or so I hoped.
After bringing my basket of veggies into the kitchen I went to my pantry cupboard and found only four lasagna pasta sheets. Hmmmmmm…clearly I needed to improvise.
I pulled half of an Italian turkey meatloaf out of the freezer. I knew it was there and I thought I would eventually do something with it in a pinch. Well, now was my opportunity. Only four lasagna sheets, half a meatloaf and two small zucchini. One large overripe tomato and the will to find a way. There was certainly not enough of one thing to make a meal for two. BUT, if I put it all together I would have something scrumptious on our dinner plates.
I began by slicing the meatloaf into thin slices. These slices were going to do duble duty as lasagna sheets. I cut up the zucchini, peeled and sliced the tomato. I dredged the zucchini slices in a flour and herb mixture then began with two of the pasta sheets and started to layer. I spread ricotta over each layer and finished with the sliced tomato, evoo drizzled over all and a sprinkle of grated parm. I let it sit on the counter for a bit then put it in a 350 degree oven and baked it for roughly an hour. Bake it long enough for the center to be bubbling nicely. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
If the finished lasanga tastes anything like it smells as it is baking then I will wish I had had more of all the ingredients to start with. This however, is one of the best ways to exercise your culinary creativity and create something scrumptious from very little. Never think what you have isn’t enough. On its own perhaps it isn’t. But put it together with a bit of this and some of that and it suddenly becomes more than you can eat in one sitting. Like this dish of summer lasagna. WOW. Leftovers on the horizion!!!
With the high and ever rising cost of food not using what we have or thinking there isn’t enough to go around isn’t the way to think. One of my favorite posts from a few years ago is about what to do with leftovers.
This is my first blog post in quite a while and it feels so good to be back. I will be adding more posts, with more frequency and more good things to share and pass around our tables. For now this delicious looking lasagna is calling…Many Blessings
