One of the “Meatless Monday” challenges I face is coming up with meals that actually appeal to me.  When my copy of the Gordon Ramsey cookbook,  Cooking for Friends, arrived I was glad to find a veggie dish that both sounded good and could be done outdoors on the grill.

So here’s my take on Gordon Ramsey’s Grilled Vegetable Lasagna.  The main different between the recipe below and what I did was the vegetables were all cooked on my Weber kettle.  The original recipe also uses the oven, as I did, but it could be done in the smoker or indirect on your gas or charcoal grill.

The original recipe calls for using the broiler to char the bell peppers, I used my Weber kettle.

I also gut the zucchini into long 1/2 inch thick strips instead of rounds so they were easier to grill.

Topped with a little basil. Added some french bread and a salad for a complete meal.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

By Gordon Ramsey in Cooking for Friends. Published in 2008 by HarperCollins

• 10 ounces fresh lasagna sheets (about 12)
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3 buffalo mozzarella, 5 ounces each, thinly sliced
• small handful of fresh basil, leaves only

Tomato and basil sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• leaves, stripped from a spring of fresh thyme
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• small handful of fresh basil, leaves torn

Grilled Vegetables:

• 1 small eggplant
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 yellow crookneck squash
• Olive oil for drizzling
• leaves stripped from a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper

First, make the tomato sauce.  Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and thyme with some salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft, 6 – 8 minutes.  Tip in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauces has been reduced and thickened slightly about 30 minutes.  Taste and add sugar if the sauce seem acidic.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.  Trim the eggplant, zucchini and squash, then lice into 1/2 inch rounds.  Drizzle the olive oil and season.  Toss with the herbs.  Cook in batches on a hot grill pan until tender and slightly charred, 2 – 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a large bowl.

Preheat the broiler to hot,  Cut the bell peppers in half and place them cut-side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Broil until well charred, 10 – 15 minutes.  Remove and let cool slightly before peeling off the skins and discarding the seeds.  Cut the flesh into wedges and add to the bowl of grilled vegetables.

When the tomato sauce is ready, add the basil.  Transfer to a food processor and blitz until smooth.  taste and adjust the seasoning.  Tip into a bowl and let cool.

Prehead the oven to 350 degrees F. Sppon  a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a deep baking dish.  Put two sheets of lasagne on top, then sprinkle with a little Parmesan.  Arrange a layer of grilled begetables on the pasta, followed by a layer of mozzarella.  Add another layer of tomato sauce.  Repeat the layers until reach the top of the dish.  You want to finish with a layer of lasagna sheets spread generously with tomato sauce, topped with a final layer of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan.  Bake until the cheese topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.  30 – 40 minutes

Serves 4 – 6.

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