Hybrid Recipe: Parsnips Homemade Lasagna Recipe for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat-Lovers

Did I mention parsnips with lasagna? I did, I did! I love adding in an extra healthy vegetable to a traditional favorite like lasagna. This is a tasty Hybrid Recipe: Parsnips Homemade Lasagna Recipe for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat-Lovers. Accommodate both the vegetarians and meat-eaters at your table by serving this meal for dinner. Read this for an easy cooking hack to make a meal Everyone will love it!

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My family loves this dish. The parsnips flavor comes through and blends deliciously with this traditional Italian dish. But, for those who don’t know parsnips are in the dish, it is unnoticeable. My boys didn’t even realize this veggie was in the lasagna. But it was, and I could taste it because I knew it was there. This veggie adds an extra sweetness to the robust flavor of a tomato-packed dish like lasagna. Adding in more fiber makes it more healthy while adding in more vitamins and minerals too.

Please scroll down to easily print this recipe:)

Parnsips in Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Parsnips are one of those veggies that don’t get used very much it seems and it’s a shame. This veggie needs to get used more;)

I love it sauteed in butter too, plus it’s super tasty in potato dumpling soup. Give it a try yourself:) Parsnips are shaped like a carrot, but a white color. They are high in fiber, folate, and vitamin C.

I actually started using this vegetable because I bought it for our guinea pigs. They love to eat chunks of parsnips. One day, I thought, I should try this veggie so I sauteed it in butter. Loved it! I’ve started adding more parsnips into recipes, just like this one.

What do I Mean by Split Table?

We are a split table family composed of vegetarians and meat-eaters so I often make recipes I call hybrid recipes. Since I have family members who eat meat and some who don’t eat meat, I need to make meals work for both types of diets. Sometimes I make multiple different meals for members of my family, yet other times I try to make just one dish to accommodate both diets (this is obviously much easier).

Preparing food in a hybrid way is a cooking hack that I do constantly to feed my family. It’s pretty simple to cook this way. I just have to plan ahead and find a way to separate the meat-containing portion from the meatless portion in some way.

Read this post for more ideas on cooking this way: How to Cook for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat Eaters.

Alternative option: It is easy to make the dish all meat by doubling the meat amount to 2 cups, or omit the meat to make it meatless for an all vegetarian meal.

Interested in more Split Table Hybrid recipes? Check out these recipes.

Hybrid Recipe Potato Dumpling Soup for Vegetarians and Meat-Lovers: 2 Crockpot Recipe

Two Crockpot Hybrid Chili Recipe to Feed Vegetarians and Meat Eaters

Tomato Basil Hybrid Vegetarian & Ham Croissant Crust Quiche

Hybrid English Muffin Bread Tofu and Ham Quiche

Hybrid Recipe Rutabaga Vegetarian Plus Ham Lasagna Rolls

Meal Prep Hacks for Split Table Families

In this recipe, the meal prep hack for feeding multi-diets from one recipe is very simple: only add meat to half the dish. I also only add the meat in on ONE of the layers to prevent the potential spread of meat to the meatless section.

The other technique I use to make this a hybrid dish is to NOT spread the meat exactly to the halfway mark in the pan, but stop the meat a little before the middle of the pan. This helps prevent what I call meat-drift into the meatless portion. Meat-drift can happen during transferring the pan to the oven (especially if it’s a more liquidy dish), during cooking, or during cutting pieces when serving. So, if the meat doesn’t go right up to the middle point, there is less chance of it getting into the vegetarian section of the dish. A vegetarian does not want to get a dreaded unexpected bite of meat!

And check out my cookbook for even more split table ideas and recipes:) These meal prep ideas are perfect for a family with a vegetarian child, or a family with one or more vegetarians where the rest of the family eats meat. Vegan dairy products could be substituted for dairy products to make vegan portions as well.

One Dish Two Diets: Recipes for the Hybrid Vegetarian and Meat-Eating Family

Homemade Lasagna Recipe Ingredient List:

To make this Hybrid Meal for Parsnips Homemade Lasagna Recipe, collect the following ingredients:

• cooked and mashed parsnips (2-4 depending on size), combine with the butter below for a total of 1 c. mashed parsnips
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 c. diced onion
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. rubbed sage (add this to flavor the olive oil listed above to saute the onions)
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce (I like to use traditional flavor Ragu®)
• 1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked according to package and cooled
• 1/2 c. red wine (I like to use red wine blend Bota Box Nighthawk Black®)
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 3 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese (divided)
• 1 c. browned mild Italian sausage

Ragu Traditional Spaghetti Sauce – 3/45oz

Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese-24 oz

Barilla Wavy Lasagne Pasta, 16 oz

How to Make Parsnips Homemade Lasagna Recipe:

The steps to make this are listed below (scroll down further to easily print these steps).

1. Steam 2-4 parsnips and mash. Stir in 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Set aside.
2. Saute 1/2 c. diced onion in 1 Tbsp. olive oil with 1/4 tsp. sage until soft.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and lay noodles on cookie sheets sprayed with cooking spray to allow them to cool and prevent them from sticking to each other.
4. Add cooked the onions and the pureed parnsips with butter to the 6 c. of spaghetti sauce. Stir.
5. Add 1/2 red wine to sauce and stir.
6. In a separate bowl, combine 15 oz. ricotta, 2 c. Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp. minced garlic and stir. It should make about 3 c. of cheese mixture.
7. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray.
8. Spread 1 c. sauce over bottom of pan.
9. Next layer 6 lasagna noodles parallel to each other and slightly overlapping to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
10. Add 1 c. of the cheese mixture and spread it across the noodles with fingers or spoon.
11. Next, spread 2 c. sauce, lay down 7 noodles as listed above, and spread 1 c. cheese mixture.
12. Spread about 2 c. sauce across for the next layer and sprinkle 1 c. browned ground mild Italian sausage to slightly less than half of the pan. Top with 6 noodles. Spread remaining 1 c. cheese mixture over the noodles.
13. Spread about 2 c. sauce, sprinkle evenly 1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.
14. Cook covered in tin foil at 375° for 60 minutes.

Allow to dish to cool prior to cutting into pieces to serve. Another tip to cook in a hybrid way is to pay attention to which side in the meat containing side so when you pull it out, you will know. When busy with kids, I’ve been known to even write it down. Or, always place meat on the right side of the oven so it is easier to remember.

Meal Prep Tips:

An easy way to remember this meal prep process is to think about the layers as sauce first, noodles next, and then spread the cheese across the noodles, then repeat. Remember one layer gets meat and the top layer is different (sauce, shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese).

Lasagna can be overwhelming to make because there are so many steps and layering to this dish. The layering doesn’t really matter, I just happen to find it easiest to spread the cheese mixture across the noodles.

Be sure to allow enough time to make this meal. It is work to prepare it, but it’s so worth it! Some steps could be done ahead of time or the day before if necessary like steaming the parsnips and cooking the onions.

I hope you enjoy this meal! Eat well and enjoy life!

Copyright ©2018 Julie Hoag. All Rights Reserved.

Hybrid Recipe: Parsnips Homemade Lasagna Recipe for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat-Lovers

This is a tasty Hybrid Recipe: Parsnips Homemade Lasagna Recipe for a Split Table of Vegetarians and Meat-Lovers. Accommodate both the vegetarians and meat-eaters at your table by serving this meal for dinner. A healthy dinner recipe for families. This family meal has a meatless and meat portion to the dish to feed both types of eaters in your family: vegetarian and meat-eating members. Or, double the meat and make it an all meat meal or omit the meat and make it all vegetarian.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup parsnips, mashed 2-4 parnsips
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce
• 1 pound lasagna noodles about 19 noodles
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese whole milk or part skim
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated divided
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded divided
• 1 cup Mild Italian sausage browned

Instructions

 

• Steam 2-4 parsnips and mash. Stir in 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Set aside.
• Saute 1/2 c. diced onion in 1 Tbsp. olive oil with 1/4 tsp. sage until soft.
• Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and lay noodles on cookie sheets sprayed with cooking spray to allow them to cool and prevent them from sticking to each other.
• Add cooked the onions and the pureed parnsips with butter to the 6 c. of spaghetti sauce. Stir.
• Add 1/2 red wine to sauce and stir.
• In a separate bowl, combine 15 oz. ricotta, 2 c. Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp. minced garlic and stir. It should make about 3 c. of cheese mixture.
• Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
• An easy way to remember this meal prep layering process is to think about the layers as sauce first, noodles next, and then spread the cheese across the noodles. The first step in layering is to spread 1 c. sauce over bottom of pan.
• Next layer 6 lasagna noodles parallel to each other and slightly overlapping to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
• Add 1 c. of the cheese mixture and spread it across the noodles with fingers or spoon.
  
• Next, spread 2 c. sauce, lay down 7 noodles as listed above, and spread 1 c. cheese mixture.
• Spread about 2 c. sauce across for the next layer and sprinkle 1 c. browned ground mild Italian sausage to slightly less than half of the pan. Top with 6 noodles. Spread remaining 1 c. cheese mixture over the noodles.
  
• Spread about 2 c. sauce, sprinkle evenly 1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.
  
• Cook covered in tin foil at 375° for 60 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!