Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna (Bon Appetit)

Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna

Happy New Year! Here is something I made over the holiday season and am finally getting around to posting it! Enjoy!

My librarian friend Jennie recommends this lasagna dish and I have been dying to try it. I had a few friends over to visit and walk through my neighborhood's Christmas light display. I haven't made a lasagna in years, and Jennie says this one is super duper easy and quick!

Mix ricotta and Parmesan cheese together. Great tip from my friend Jennie - make sure you season (salt & pepper) and taste the mixture at this point (before adding the egg). If your seasoning is off, the whole lasagna could be flat.

Mix drained and squeezed spinach with the pesto. The hardest thing about this recipe is thawing and draining the frozen chopped spinach....yeah, this recipe is EASY! I let my spinach sit in a sieve for an evening and then pressed it with a wooden spoon. Or, you can throw it into cheesecloth and squeeze and squeeze.

The other layers consist of noodles and sauce. And they come off the shelves of your local grocery store!

Building the lasagna: 1. Layer of tomato sauce, 2. Three no-boil noodles

3. Layer of ricotta cheese mixture. I used the back of a spoon to spread it around.
4. Layer of spinach/pesto mixture. I used my fingers to dollop it onto the cheese mixture.

5. Repeat the layering two more times and end with your last three noodles and cup of sauce.
6. After baking covered with foil for 35 minutes, remove the foil and top with fontina cheese. Bake until done. (See the recipe below for all that specifics).

I didn't eat any of the lasagna (too much dairy), but my friends really liked it! You should definitely try it out...easy peasy and quick to make! Thanks Jennie for helping me out with this recipe!

Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna
Bon Appétit, September 1999

3 cups ricotta cheese (I used Trader Joe's)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry (I used one package of 16 oz. of Trader Joe's organic spinach)
1 7-ounce package prepared pesto (I used a bottle of 6.7 oz of Trader Joe's basil pesto)
4 cups bottled chunky pasta sauce (I used 1 1/2 bottles of Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package (I used Trader Joe's no boil lasagna noodles)
2 cups grated Fontina cheese (I used Trader Joe's Fontina (came in a wedge and I grated it myself))

Blend ricotta and Parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. (I needed to bake a little longer to get the cheese a bit brown). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. I like to pre-cut the squares.

Recipe:
Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna
Bon Appétit, September 1999