Hidden Vegetable Ravioli Lasagna Recipe

When was the last time you ate your daily recommended serving of vegetables? If you're having a hard time recalling, don't worry, you're not alone. According to most resources, it's recommended that adults eat at least five to six servings of vegetables a day which can be surprisingly hard to do for many of us! Whether you've got a young picky eater at home or you're trying to improve your nutrition, this clever recipe by developer Tess Le Moing sneaks 2.5 servings of vegetables into a simple, homemade marinara sauce.

Carrots, red bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, and San Marzano tomatoes are blended into a smooth and creamy sauce packed with a wide range of nutrients your body needs for optimal health. And the best part? The veggie sauce is featured in a weeknight-friendly twist on traditional lasagna, which uses ravioli instead of lasagna noodles. Not only does it take half the time to prepare, but it also gives you the opportunity to pack in more vegetables by using spinach or mushroom-stuffed ravioli. Pair this lasagna with a serving of steamed veggies or a simple green salad, and you've got yourself all the veggie servings you need in just one meal. You can easily double the recipe to feed and nourish your family all week.

For starters, we suggest taking a trip to your local farmer's market to get your hands on fresh, tasty, and seasonal vegetables for the hidden-vegetable marinara sauce. You'll need a yellow onion, red bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, garlic, and spinach. Once they're sauteed, you'll season the veggies with salt, Italian seasoning, and extra-virgin olive oil before simmering them in a bath of canned tomatoes. You can use any can of tomatoes you have in the pantry, but Le Moing prefers the flavor and texture of San Marzanos.

After the marina sauce is blended, you'll layer it with fresh ravioli (any flavor you like), creamy ricotta, and freshly grated Parmesan to make a lasagna. You can easily make this recipe dairy-free by making your own vegan ricotta or using store-bought to save time. After baking in the oven, garnish the lasagna with a dusting of ground black pepper and fresh basil leaves.

Heat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 7 x 11-inch baking pan.

In a medium pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat.

Add the onions, red bell pepper, and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add zucchini, garlic, spinach, and salt. Saute until the spinach wilts.

Add the diced tomatoes, remaining olive oil, and Italian seasoning.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender and blend until smooth.

Spread half the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish until evenly covered.

Shingle half of the ravioli in an even layer.

Spread all the ricotta and 1 cup of Parmesan over the ravioli.

Add the remaining ravioli in an even layer.

Spread the remaining hidden vegetable marinara sauce over the ravioli.

Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and top with freshly ground black pepper.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and broil for about 2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Garnish with fresh basil, if desired, and serve.

This recipe doesn't discriminate. An emergency bag of freezer ravioli will work in a pinch, making this recipe even more convenient. No need to plan in advance and thaw the ravioli. Simply pull them straight from the freezer and arrange the lasagna as written in the recipe. The lasagna will just need to bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer until the ravioli are fully cooked.

If you choose to make the ravioli from scratch, then this recipe comes with a lot of creative wiggle room. Not only do you get to make your own filling, but you also get to choose the shape and color of the pasta. For the filling, stick with cheese-based, meat-based, or vegetarian, and avoid seafood ravioli. Le Moing prefers Italian sausage ravioli in this recipe, but she also likes spinach or mushroom fillings to pack in more veg.

Whether using fresh, frozen, or store-bought ravioli, Le Moing recommends using half-moon-shaped ravioli because they have more surface area. This makes it easier to arrange the pasta in the baking dish and spread even layers of tomato sauce and ricotta. Triangular and circular shapes also work well. If using square-shaped ravioli, Le Moing suggests overlapping the pointed ends (like diamonds) instead of the flat square-shaped ends.

This recipe lends well to a variety of vegetable odds and ends in the fridge. You can use any combination of vegetables you like, so long as it makes about 1 ½ cups. Besides carrots, zucchini, and bell peppers, you can also use celery, butternut squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, or eggplant. They all add their own unique sweetness and creaminess to the sauce. To cut on prep time, you can use a bag of frozen vegetables, and pour them into the skillet to cook. Start with vegetables that are tough and take longer to cook, like sweet potato, carrots, and butternut squash. Then add in quick-cooking veggies like zucchini and leafy greens. Make sure the vegetables are cut into similar sizes so they cook evenly.

Avoid vegetables with strong flavors or bright colors. They can overpower the delicate tomato sauce and alter its appearance. Some vegetables to avoid include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beets, and radishes. While there's spinach in this recipe, try to avoid substituting it with kale or mustard greens. They will add a bitter flavor to the sauce. Stick with mild leafy greens like baby kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, and collard greens.