5 cheese crab lasagna with roasted garlic and vegetables
roast garlic: place oven rack on second notch
turn oven to 375 degrees f
cut tops off of the heads of garlic and discard excess skin
place garlic on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over the tops
fold up edges of foil and add 2 tsp white wine to the bottom
seal packet tightly and place in oven
bake 40-45 minutes or until garlic is tender when pierced
open packet carefully to let cool and set aside
roast asparagus: turn up heat to 400 degrees f
holding at the end , gently bend each asparagus spear and snap off where it gives naturally
discard ends
pare leaves from stalks , leaving the
soak asparagus in cold water for 10 minutes
spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray
rinse asparagus twice and drain
blot dry with paper towels
place in a large bowl
drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over asparagus , then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper
toss to coat
remove asparagus , letting excess oil drip back into the bowl , and arrange on cookie sheets
set bowl aside
roast asparagus 8 minutes or until bright green and crisp-tender
let cool slightly , then remove asparagus to a plate , cover lightly with foil , and set aside
roast peppers: turn on broiler
cut peppers in half vertically through the stems
rinse and remove seeds , stems and soft white inner parts
blot dry with a paper towel
place peppers on one of the previously used cookie sheets , cut-side down
broil 5 minutes
turn the cookie sheet around 180 degrees and broil another 5-7 minutes or until the pepper skins are about blackened
turn off broiler
remove peppers to a second bowl and cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap
let rest 10 minutes
meanwhile , bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the lasagna noodles
after 10 minutes , or when peppers are cool enough to touch , peel off skins with your fingers
cut peppers into strips and place in the bowl with the leftover olive oil
add 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil to the bowl
toss pepper strips to coat , then remove to a plate , allowing excess oil to drip back into the bowl
cover lightly with foil and set aside
there should be a little olive oil and basil left in the bowl
set bowl aside
cook noodles: when water is boiling , add noodles and cook according to package directions
lay out two sheets of aluminum foil on counter or table top
spray foil with cooking spray
when noodles are done , drain , then remove with tongs and lay out on foil sheets side by side but not touching
spray tops of noodles with cooking spray
set aside
roast tomatoes: turn broiler back on
spray the cookie sheet used for the peppers with more cooking spray
wash tomatoes and cut in half length-wise , removing any unpleasant white / yellow inner parts
place tomatoes in bowl with the leftover olive oil
add 1 tsp olive oil , 1 tsp oregano , and 1 tbsp chopped basil to the bowl
toss tomatoes to coat
arrange on cookie sheets , cut-side up
sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle remaining oil / seasoning on top of tomatoes
sprinkle with 2 tbsp grated parmesan-romano cheese
broil 4 minutes
carefully rotate cookie sheets 180 degrees
broil another 4 minutes , or until tomatoes are quite soft and cheese is golden brown
peel off loose skins , if desired
set sheets of tomatoes aside to cool
make sauce: melt 3 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium low
add onion and sprinkle lightly with salt
saute 5-8 minutes or until softened
turn down heat to low
squeeze roasted garlic from individual cloves into skillet
stir well , mashing any whole cloves with back of spoon
sprinkle with salt and cook 2-3 minutes , stirring occasionally
add 5 tbsp flour and return heat to medium low
stirring constantly , cook for 4-5 minutes , spreading out mixture with back of spoon
add cup white wine and continue stirring for 1 minute or until wine has mostly disappeared
remove skillet from heat and whisk in 2 cups fat-free half-and-half
return to heat and bring to a simmer , whisking constantly
turn down heat to low and simmer 5 minutes , stirring frequently the first minute or two , and occasionally thereafter
turn off heat
add ricotta , crab , and lemon juice
stir very well
taste for salt and adjust if necessary
set aside
assemble lasagna: spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray
arrange of noodles on bottom of pan
top noodles with of sauce
arrange tomatoes on top of sauce
top tomatoes with provel to cover
add a second layer of 3 noodles
press down gently but firmly
add another of sauce
arrange half of asparagus spears on top of sauce in two rows , each row taking up about half the pan length-wise
choose the less beautiful spears
top asparagus with sliced havarti with dill
add a third layer of 3 noodles
press down gently but firmly
top with of sauce
arrange peppers on top of sauce
cover peppers with sliced fontina
add the last layer of 3 noodles
press down gently and firmly
top with remaining sauce
top sauce with the rest of the asparagus , nicely arranged in two rows
sprinkle asparagus with 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
top with cup grated parmesan-romano cheese
sprinkle with old bay seasoning and spray with cooking spray
cover with foil and refrigerate overnight
bake lasagna: preheat oven to 350 degrees f
bake lasagna , still covered with foil , for 30 minutes
remove foil and bake an additional 20-25 minutes , or until the edges are bubbly and slightly brown and the parmesan-romano is golden brown
if the lasagna is cooked immediately rather than refrigerated , bake covered 20 minutes and uncovered 10-15 minutes , or until done
let rest a few minutes , then cut pieces with a sharp knife and serve