A simple summer lasagna recipe using no boil noodles and a no-cook sauce. Easy, delicious and vegetarian bursting with fresh summer vegetables.

Simple summer lasagna
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Every Sunday as kids we went to my grandparents’ house for some sort of pasta based meal.

Usually, it was the normal macaroni and meatballs but sometimes we lucked out, Grandma got ambitious and we had lasagna.

I’m not sure why lasagna seemed so much fancier and like a treat compared to the usual pasta, but it did.

We’d get there right after church, immediately run out of the car and down to the dog kennels for me and over to the horses for my brother.

In the summer, we’d be in their in-ground pool as fast as we could change into our bathing suits and be greeted with a Nestle crunch bar ice cream pop as soon as we emerged all wrinkled.

In the winter, we’d play in my grandpa’s den, jumping on his exercise trampoline and staring at the swords and deer heads mounted on the wall.

Between 12 and 2 Grandma would be at the stove making the sauce and asking people if it tasted “aspy” (a phrase I never understood until I finally learned it was some sort of Italian slang).

We’d sit down around 3pm, say grace and dig in.

Grandpa sat at the head of the table always in his blue velour jumpsuit telling some outlandish story involving many instances of the phrase “that son of a bitch!”.

Think of The Sopranos, minus the mob part and maybe toned down by about 25% or so.

Clean up involved men on the couch watching sports, women in the kitchen and me whining how it wasn’t fair.

I still stand by that. It was the late 80s, early 90s, not 1920.

Summer lasagna

Many things have changed since then.

I haven’t stepped foot in a church on a Sunday in years, my grandparents got divorced after 45+ years of marriage and I wouldn’t eat a Nestle crunch bar if you paid me.

But, when I see or think of lasagna, I’m instantly connected to those Sunday memories.

Foodbuzz gave me the chance to test out the new Glad Freezerware through the tastemakers program.

When it came to the house and I saw the packaging had a picture of lasagna on it, I knew I wanted to create my own Sunday memory.

A tribute to old memories with an easy,  fresh and summery spin – a summer lasagna.

I used zucchini and kale to stuff it, lasagna noodles that don’t need boiling and sauce that doesn’t need cooking.

I think I’d give my Grandpa a heart attack just telling him that.

It’s definitely not the typical meat, sauce and cheese heavy dish he’s used to, but I stand by it.

Summer lasagna

It might not be similar to regular lasagna in taste, but leftovers freeze great just like the “real” thing. Here’s a great tutorial on how to reheat frozen lasagna for the best tasting outcome.

The GLAD FreezerWare resists cracking which is perfect if you want to freeze leftovers from this summer lasagna.

Leftovers were always the one bright part about having to leave Sunday dinners, make the hour trek back home and get ready for school the next day.

20 years later, family dinners have become a rare occurrence, school has become work, but at least I don’t have to fight my brother for the leftovers.

Here’s a great gluten-free lasagna for a more traditional recipe we also love to make and a gluten-free lasagna soup if you want a cozier hearty meal.

MORE SUMMER INSPIRED RECIPES:

Ciambotta (Italian vegetable stew)
End of Summer Vegetable Bean Skillet
Summer Slow Cooker Frittata
Slow Cooker Summer Beef Stew
Lentil Stuffed Eggplant

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4.96 from 46 votes

Simple Summer Lasagna

Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Summer lasagna
A simple summer lasagna recipe using no boil noodles and a no-cook sauce. Easy, delicious and vegetarian bursting with fresh summer vegetables.

Ingredients 

  • 8 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 10 leaves of basil + 1/4 cup chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta
  • 11/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 large zucchini, sliced thinly on the diagonal
  • 1/2 head of kale, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
  • 4.5 oz half a package no boil lasagna noodles

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a food processor, combine tomatoes, garlic, 10 leaves of basil and a generous amount of salt & pepper. Process until pureed, taste for seasoning and set aside.
  • In a small skillet over medium-high heat, saute shallot with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, combine ricotta, red pepper flakes, remaining olive oil, sauted shallots and salt & pepper to taste.
  • Begin layering lasagna. First, coat bottom of the baking dish with a bit of the tomato sauce. Next layer noodles, overlapping slightly. Spread more tomato sauce on top of that. Drop dollops of the ricotta mixture on top of sauce and then layer 1/2 the zucchini, kale and basil.
  • Repeat that layer once more and then top with last layer of noodles, sauce and remaining ricotta.
  • Bake loosely covered with tin foil for 30 minutes.
  • Remove foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
  • Garnish with additional basil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 351kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 13gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 128mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Italian
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Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

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Recipe Rating




29 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    You had me a no boil lol I saw this on Pinterest and had to try it and I’m so happy I did!!! It was so straight forward to make and super delicious!!! Thank you!

  2. I love lasagna! And your recipe is a must-try! I love how easy it is to make. I actually made some for our family gathering last weekend, and it was a hit! I will be making this again!

  3. I really appreciated the no cook sauce or noodles in this recipe! My kitchen heats up so quickly in the summer. Loved this lasagna. It was a hit

  4. My grandparents love requesting this simple yet super delicious summer lasagna! It is packed with flavors and incredibly irresistible.