How I Do a Veggie Ravioli Lasagna for the Holidays in 30 Minutes

The Holidays are almost here and as the weather gets colder, although a nice warm soup is great for me when it comes to sharing a healthy meal with family, I like to make a recipe inspired by an amazing chef who has appeared on her own TV Show for several years. I am talking about none other than Rachel  Ray.

If you ever get tired of the same old lasagna then be prepared to try something new just like me and feel renewed inspiration just by doing something new or a little bit different in your kitchen. 

We all want our Thanksgiving and Holiday meals to be tasty and healthy and to look amazing on our table as well. I like to create inclusive recipes that any and everyone can enjoy. 

Be sure to style your Living room and Dining Room along with your table with festive colors and curtains for the Holidays so it looks like an amazing backdrop for your table whether you decide to follow tradition to only put up Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving or not. 

And why not place some Red Wine to go along with your Holiday meal in a Holiday Basket like a creative centerpiece on your table.  

Why not get help with your Christmas decorations by making it a Family Holiday Decorating Activity before or after your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving meal and make it a Friendship & Family Wellness Decorating Activity. 

As for a Holiday Recipe that everyone will love, here is what I like to do. Although the latest cookbook is a great place to get inspiration for my Holiday Meals, I get my inspiration from some of the traditional chefs or among the best-known established chefs like Rachel Ray. After a quick stop at the supermarket, I return home to my kitchen. Here are the ingredients that I checklist to make a Veggie Ravioli-Style Lasagna.

Rachel calls it her Ravioli Vegetable Lasagna but I like to substitute some of my other favorite veggies and that’s why I call it my Veggie Ravioli-Style Lasagna.

The following are the ingredients:. 

2 packages of chopped frozen veggies. Rachel’s recipe uses spinach, defrosted in the microwave, but I like to use chopped frozen broccoli defrosted in the microwave.

I continue to follow Rachel’s recipe:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and spread it twice around the pan 

Rachel’s recipe used 4 to 6 cloves. garlic is finely chopped but I like to use garlic and mushrooms because I believe in individualizing my recipe to what my family and my guests like. If my guests like me to add olives then I have the option of adding some olives or serving it on the side for my guests. But we have a lot of  Garlic lovers in my household at our social gatherings for the Holidays who are not as in love with cloves and they tell me to add extra garlic or mushrooms instead.

After all like most good hosts, I try to please my guests. For instance, If you have picky kids who don’t eat anything unless it looks like Mac & Cheese there is a trick on how I found I can alter this recipe to look almost like Mac & Cheese that I will share when you get ready to layer your casserole pan below. After all here at the Lookability Club, it’s all about the look as well as good tasting food.

Next, if you do the recipe according to Rachel then you’ll want to add 2 cans of artichokes which are quartered in water, drained, then salted, and black pepper is added to taste.

Rachel’s recipe uses artichokes but I like to substitute Asparagus or smashed Brussels sprouts. Sometimes I may even substitute Zucchini or Eggplant.  

Some say it’s all in the sauce. This Rachel Inspired Recipe uses White Sauce. 

But if you like Red Sauce, who says you cannot use Red sauce. 

Make yourself happy and individualize this recipe to your liking.     
Go for Gourmet Red Sauce or your basic, favorite sauce at the supermarket.  

If that’s what you like, use your favorite red sauce. So Red Sauce Lovers feel free to go for it. You can skip the white sauce instructions below as it is for us white sauce lovers. 

Like Rachel, I chose to go with White Sauce for my Veggie Lasagna since the classic white sauce has been the tradition when it comes to Vegetable Lasagna for as long as I can remember. 

If you like making your sauce from scratch, you’ll need the following:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream or half and half
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese about a couple handfuls. 
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your individualized taste
• 1 large -24 to 28-ounce package of fresh ravioli with your favorite filling like Mushrooms or Contadina bread 
• 1-pound thin asparagus spears, be sure to trim off tough ends and cut at an angle into 2-inch pieces. 
• 2 cups shredded provolone or Italian 4-cheese Blend. 

What’s Next? I bring a pot of water to boil with the ravioli and while this is boiling,  I drain my frozen chopped veggies to a dry state using a kitchen towel just as Rachel recommends.

 

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