Corn Zucchini and Poblano Lasagna

We enjoyed this side dish immensely. 

Perhaps add a little meat if your family is not vegetarian, or serve as a side dish. 

The corn sauce is amazing! Photos are from our kitchen but...

Recipe courtesy of Marcela Valladolid of the Food Network.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears), or frozen and thawed

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
• 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 4 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
• 12 (7 by 3-inch) no-boil lasagna sheets
• 2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese, or mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare roasted peppers on grill or in oven as shown here.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2/3 of the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Mix in the corn and saute for 5 minutes. 

Stir in the cream and thyme. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the zucchini and poblano strips and cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

Spread about 1/4 of the corn mixture over the bottom of an 11 by 8-inch baking dish. 

Cover with a layer of 3 lasagna sheets. 

Spread 1/4 of the poblano mixture and 1/4 of the cheese over the pasta. 

Repeat the layering 3 more times. 

Cover with foil.

Bake until the pasta is cooked and tender, about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and turn up the oven temperature to broil. 

Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Burrito Lasagna

Thanks very much to a customer who submitted this Mexican style lasagna recipe in September 2011. We also tried substituting a bed of romaine lettuce, feta cheese, and plenty of roasted peppers to provide a smoky, naturally flavorful, hot dish.

Ingredients

  2 pounds ground beef

  1 onion, chopped

  2 teaspoons minced garlic

  1 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced

  1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers

  1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

 1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce

 2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans

 12 (8 inch) flour tortillas

 9 ounces shredded Colby cheese

Method:

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

   2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, green chile peppers, tomatoes with green chile peppers, taco sauce and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

   3. Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.

   4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Eight-ball Zucchini Lasagna

Do you have family members who must avoid flour, wheat, or pasta? 

I prefer vegetables to pasta, so Jack came up with this recipe for me. 

It was delicious and not watery at all!

Ingredients:

6 Eight-ball zucchini (or regular zucchini)

favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce

Ricotta Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Parmesan Cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

fresh oregano (less if dry oregano is used)

Method:

Slice 6 medium sized 8-ball zucchinis into 1/4” saucers

or

Slice 6 medium regular zucchini into 1/4” saucers or lengths, depending on personal preference

Steam zucchini about 15 minutes, pat dry on paper towels, and set aside.

In baking dish, begin layering ingredients:

spread a little sauce on bottom

layer zucchini

dollops of Ricotta Cheese (to taste)

sprinkle on oregano to taste

Mozzarella Cheese

sauce

and repeat process until last layer:

sauce, topped with Parmesan Cheese

Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly warm and cheese is melted.