Vegetable Lasagna

In a quest to try something different, I found this vegetable lasagna recipe.  It was in the latest Everyday Food cookbook, "Everyday Food:  Fresh Flavor Fast:  250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day."  The family loved it, so I decided to share it with you.

Mix cheese, spinach, egg, salt and pepper for the filling.

The recipe said to use store bought marinara, but those who know me know I NEVER buy marinara.  I have a favorite recipe I like to use, but I used the Basic Tomato Sauce recipe in the back of the cookbook and it was perfect.  VERY SIMPLE too.  Here is the sauce recipe:

Basic Tomato Sauce
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2-4 minutes.  Add tomatoes with their juice and the oregano.  Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with the spoon, until thickened, 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sauce can be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months; let cool completely before storing in airtight containers.  

Makes 6 cups.

Add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish.  Arrange 4 of the noodles on top.  Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.  Then add 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the fontina cheese.  Continue layering.

Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes.  Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 4 cups (32 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
• 6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce (Basic Tomato Sauce listed above)
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
• 1 pound fontina cheese (4 cups), shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
   
   
2. Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
   
   
3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.