Luscious Spinach Lasagne

This economical meatless lasagne is light enough to be healthy, yet still rich and cheesy enough to please the family.  Use the highest quality ingredients you can find, and you will not be disappointed.  Another tip is to bake the lasagne at a low temperature so that it cooks slowly and does not dry out in the oven.  If you wish you may turn up the temperature to 400 for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time to brown the cheese. 

Luscious Spinach Lasagne

Ingredients:

12-16 dried or fresh lasagne noodles

3-4 cups good tomato sauce 

1 small onion, chopped medium dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz.  ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded

1 tbsp. parsley

1/2 cup half and half

1. Instructions:
2. If you're using dried pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If you're using fresh pasta sheets, cut them into long wide noodles approximately 3 inches by 13 inches, or a size that will fit into your lasagna dish. Cook the noodles (6 at a time for dried noodles) until they are tender but still underdone (they will finish cooking as the lasagna bakes);  Drain and then lay the noodles flat on a towel so they won't stick.  Fresh pasta need not be cooked.

1. Make the ricotta-spinach filling:
2. Saute the onion and garlic together in a small skillet. Combine onion, garlic, ricotta cheese,eggs, spinach, parsley  and mix thoroughly.  Add in 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1 cup parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.  Stir in half and half.
3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a large rectangular baking dish with the olive oil, add a large dollop of tomato sauce and spread it around. Put a layer of noodles (use four) in the dish, trimming any overhanging edges; top with a layer of tomato sauce and then dollop with 1/3 of  spinach ricotta mixture. 
4. Repeat the layers twice, and top with the remaining noodles, tomato sauce, and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan; the top should be covered with cheese. (The lasagna may be made ahead to this point, wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to a day or frozen. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
5. 1. Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving, or cool completely, cover well, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze.
   

Enjoy..... and thanks for stopping by!

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