Joss Stone Makes Lasagna Soulful

I recently interviewed singer Joss Stone for Elle Magazine  (click here to view)  about her new album Colour Me Free.  I also asked her about what she likes to cook.   Incidentally, her dad happens to be in the food business and is the biggest importer of dried fruits and nuts in the UK.

Joss is a  vegetarian and when she’s at home in Devon she says that one of her fave dishes to cook  is lasagna.
“I like vegetarian lasagna with Quorn mince, kidney beans, tinned tomatoes, some grated cheese, mushrooms and maybe some corn flakes on top,” she said. “I don’t like a lot of layers. I don’t want a lot of pasta, I want a lot of sauce.”

I’m not sure about the cereal topping (!) so alternatively, here’s a healthy,  low carb veggie version of lasagna that Joss (and you)  might enjoy :

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion,  chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic, + 1 teaspoon minced garlic, + 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each dried oregano , dried basil, dried parsley
24 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 Portobello mushroom, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare tomato sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cloves crushed garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add dried oregano, basil, and parsley and stir. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and dried thyme.

Place zucchini on a sheet pan and brush with olive oil mixture. Bake until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Marinate the eggplant and yellow squash in the remaining olive oil mixture for a few minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add sliced button mushrooms and sauté until tender. Set aside. Place marinated vegetables in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Line the bottom of a casserole dish with the baked zucchini slices. Add half of the eggplant and squash mixture. Top with half of the tomato sauce and then spread the ricotta cheese over. Arrange Portobello slices over top and then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Top with the sautéed mushroom mixture. Top with remaining eggplant and squash mixture.

Spread remaining tomato sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and all of the Parmesan. Bake until brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.