Ingredients

• Vegetables

  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 small yellow squash
  • 1/2 small eggplant
  • 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

  Cheese Filling

  • 6 cups raw spinach, washed and trimmed
  • 1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup whole-milk cottage cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

  Main Dish

  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups prepared marinara sauce
  • 16-ounce package no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese

Roast the Vegetables

• Heat the oven to 400 F.

  Slice the zucchini and squash lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick strips. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. Remove the seeds and ribs from the pepper and cut it into wide strips.

  Lightly oil 2 baking sheets -- use a third sheet if necessary to fit all the vegetables. Use a pastry brush to apply a light layer of olive oil to each side of the sliced vegetables. Arrange the vegetables on the sheets and sprinkle both sides with salt and black pepper.

  Put them in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip the vegetables over and continue to cook them for another 10 minutes, or until soft and tender.

  Set aside to cool.

Make the Cheese Filling

• While the vegetables roast, make the cheese filling. Steam or boil the spinach until it wilts. Allow it to cool slightly. Place the cooked spinach in a paper towel or clean dish towel and ring it dry. Chop it finely.

  In a large bowl, stir together the cooked spinach, ricotta, cottage cheese, egg, dried herbs and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  Set it aside until you're ready to assemble the lasagna. For a super smooth filling, blend these ingredients with a hand blender or in a food processor.

Assemble the Lasagna

• Heat the oven to 375 F.

  Spoon 1 cup of the prepared marinara sauce into a 9.5-inch-by-13.5-inch baking pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth it out to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

  Position a single layer of no-boil lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, with the noodle edges just touching.

  Add a layer of roasted vegetables. Alternate between zucchini, squash, eggplant and pepper to add variety.

  Top the vegetables with 1/2 of the cheese filling. Use an offset or rubber spatula to spread it to the edges of the dish.

  Repeat the layers -- 1 cup of marinara sauce, noodles and vegetables, and the rest of the cheese filling. Top it with another cup of marinara and another layer of noodles, then finish it with 1/2 to 1 cup more of marinara. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese liberally over the top of the casserole.

  Bake it for 35 to 45 minutes, or until cheese melts completely and the sauce bubbles gently at the edges of the casserole.

  Remove the dish from the oven and allow the lasagna to cool for 10 to 15 minutes so the ingredients can firm up before you slice it.

Dish It

• Vary the vegetables to suit your taste. You might use onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

  Cut the lasagna into squares and serve it on small dinner plates, alongside a tossed green salad and crunchy garlic bread.

  You can roast the vegetables and make the cheese filling as much as a day ahead, and then assemble the lasagna just before you bake it.

  Depending on the size of your vegetables, you may end up with leftover roasted squash, eggplant and zucchini. Reserve them to use as a side dish with another meal, to top a salad, or to serve as the filling for a sandwich made with crusty Italian bread and goat cheese.