Low FODMAP Summer Vegetable White Lasagne
Not for Winter Only
There is no reason to only have lasagne during colder months. This Summer Vegetable White Lasagne celebrates the veggies of summer and goes lighter with a white sauce – and it complies with the science from Monash University, as do all of our recipes, so you can rest assured that this IS LOW FODMAP!
You can even enjoy this during Elimination phase.
Lactose-Free Béchamel
Visually lighter; this is not exceptionally lighter in body, although with the focus on vegetables it is a bit less heavy than classic lasagna with red sauce and meat(s). Béchamel, which is a classic white sauce, finds its way into many lasagne recipes.
Here we take you through the process of making one with lactose-free milk and enhanced with butter sautéed leeks for built in flavor.
This lasagne, layered up with roasted zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, fresh basil and spinach, cottage cheese, mozzarella and both Parmesan and Romano cheeses can feed a crowd and like many lasagnes freezes well and travels well to potlucks and parties.
The extra-sharp flavor of sheep based Romano cheese adds depth and interest to the dish. If you only have Parmesan around you can just use that, in which case you might want to add a little more salt to the white sauce.
Please do take a look at our article, Is Cheese Low FODMAP?, which will teach you how to tell if any cheese is low FODMAP!
This recipe is not hard but it does take some time to make and you will be using a few different pots and pans. You can break up the prep by roasting the veggies the day before, so take advantage of these do-ahead steps.
You might also like our Hearty Low FODMAP Lasagna, with sausage, meat and a red sauce.
Let’s Talk Summer Squash
Zucchini, which has been lab tested for FODMAPs and a low FODMAP serving size is 65 g. It is not the same thing as yellow summer squash. Many folks digest yellow summer squash similarly to zucchini, but yellow summer squash has not been lab tested by Monash University. It has been lab tested by FODMAP Friendly and they suggest 100 g are low FODMAP.
Yellow patty pan squash has been lab tested by Monash University and and contains no FODMAPs.
And since you are a cheese lover, be sure to see our round-up of our most beloved, cheesy recipes.
Low FODMAP Summer Vegetable White Lasagne
Summer lasagne with roasted veggies is great for big family get-togethers and will please everyone - FODMAPers, young and old alike.
Ingredients:
Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 medium (340 g) eggplant, ends removed, sliced into 1/2-inch (12 mm) rounds crosswise
- 1 medium (200 to 300 g) patty pan or yellow summer squash, ends removed, sliced into 1/2-inch (12 mm) rounds crosswise or similarly thin pieces
- 1 medium (200 to 300 g) zucchini, ends removed, sliced into 1/2-inch (12 mm) rounds crosswise
- 1 pound (455 g) plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch (12 mm) slices lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil or purchased equivalent such as FODY Garlic-Infused Olive Oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Pasta:
- 1, 9-ounce (255 g) box of low FODMAP gluten-free lasagne noodles, (cooked pasta weight is 510 g; see Tips)
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup (72 g) finely chopped leeks, green parts only
- 1/4 cup (36 g) low FODMAP all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 3 cups (720 ml) lactose-free whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cheese and Assembly:
- 1, 16-ounce (455 g) container lactose-free cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup (18 g) finely torn fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound (455 g) mozzarella, either low-fat or full fat, shredded or thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/4 cup (25 g) grated Pecorino Romano
- 2 cups (40 g) lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves
Preparation:
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For the Roasted Vegetables: Position 3 racks in the oven, evenly spaced apart. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Have 3 rimmed baking sheet pans ready to use.
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Lay the rounds of yellow squash and zucchini in a single layer on one sheet pan, the eggplant rounds on a second pan and the tomatoes on the third. Brush all of the vegetables with the Garlic-Infused Oil and season very lightly with salt and pepper. Roast the eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini for about 20 to 25 minutes or until tender and beginning to tinge with brown. The tomatoes will exude juice and will need about an additional 5 minutes in the oven; you want the tomatoes to dry out a little bit. Cool all the veggies until warm enough to handle or place in single layers separated by parchment in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight, bringing to room temperature before proceeding.
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For the Pasta: Place the raw lasagne noodles in a large, deep pot or bowl and cover with very hot water to soak while you make the sauce.
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For the Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until soft, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute, whisking often, to remove raw flour taste. Add milk slowly, whisking often, and simmer until thickened, about 3 more minutes. There should be visible whisk marks and the sauce should look thick and satiny. Whisk in salt and pepper; set aside
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For Assembly: Position rack in center of oven and either turn heat down or preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Check pasta; the noodles should be a tad pliable before you proceed to assemble the lasagne.
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Spread a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch (33 cm by 23 cm) casserole dish to coat. Lay one even layer of noodles in the pan, piecing broken pieces together if necessary (you will be making 3 layers of noodles). Spread about one third of the cottage cheese on the noodles then arrange a layer of the yellow squash and zucchini, getting them all in there. Scatter basil leaves evenly on top. Dollop a scant third of the sauce on top, then spread gently to cover, then top with a third of the mozzarella then Parmesan and Romano. Add another layer of noodles, half remaining cottage cheese, eggplant, spinach, then half the remaining sauce, mozzarella then Parmesan and Romano. Arrange final layer of noodles, cottage cheese, tomatoes, sauce, mozzarella then Parmesan and Romano. Cover casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake for about 15 to 25 minutes or until cheeses on top are melted and bubbly and tinged with golden brown.
Notes:
Tips
- We like to use a mandolin to slice the eggplant and squashes; you can also use a very sharp chef’s knife. We like a serrated knife for the tomatoes to get them nice and thin.
- We love Jovial pastas and their lasagne noodles are fabulous. Their box touts that you can use the noodles raw, layering them with your lasagne fixings straight out of the package. We have used them this way on other recipes and they work just fine as long as part of the baking time is with a foil covering to keep moisture inside, which helps cook the noodles. The reason we soak the noodles for this dish is because the slightly more extended baking time that would be required for the raw noodles cooks the veggies longer than we like. We found that soaking the veggies in hot water while we do some of the other prep was a happy medium so no need to boil them.
- Don’t worry if you feel like your layers are getting messy during assembly; it’s all gonna end up in your tummy and be delicious no matter what!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
If you want to freeze this, would you bake it first?
I would not bake it. Let everything cool. Double wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze.
Any idea how to change the cooking time to bake this from frozen? I put it in the fridge to thaw, I suspect it will still be a rock later…
Lasagna is so dense…I would start on a lower heat, maybe 275°F until it was thawed, then crank it up. But it won’t be quick! I would hack it up and nuke sections in the microwave:)
This was delicious! I used barilla gf no cook lasagna noodles so was able to just put them directly in the dish dry.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for letting us know! I will have to look for those noodles in our market.
After the success of making your skillet lasagne, I wanted to try this one on top of the stove too (because my new oven won’t be here for a week…)
What we altered: We used baby eggplants from the farmer’s market, Jovial’s mafalda noodles (they are bite sized with the wavy ends of a lasagne noodle) and instead of tomatoes, we added sun dried tomatoes when served (because I *LOVE* them, my DH not at much.)
To make it look like a fancy portion of lasagne, you can scoop some, add cheese on top and brown it under the broiler.
I have no complaints whatsoever 🙂 Other than: It’s gone and I want to make it again already.
LOL all gone! I love this. I have to get some of the mafalda noodles! You have inspired me.