- Spinach Lasagna

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We have a vegetarian loved one, which we can't imagine, but this lasagna makes us think it's possible. She came to visit with her pack of Glenn and Jack the Dog, and our person Me made it for the whole family. Rebecca is pictured below next to the recipe because she makes it look like it's good.

And it is. This is a write-it-in-pen kind of recipe. We started with Cook's Illustrated version, and, not that we presume to be able to top their staff of seasoned culinary hounds, but we mixed it up with our own garden ingredients and other methodologies. They were making manicotti, we find lasagna infinitely easier for a hound.

Spinach Lasagna
Me's Independent Rating: 3 of 3

6 cups of chopped, fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
red pepper flakes
sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil

3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan (about 4 ounces)
2 cups grated mozarella (about 4 ounces)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups steamed baby spinach, chopped
sea salt
ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil
ground nutmeg
16 lasagna noodles

Pulse 3 cups of tomatoes in a blender to puree. Add to 3 cups chopped tomatoes and set aside.

Saute garlic and pinch of pepper flakes in oil in a large frying pan until lightly browned. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Add basil and salt to taste.

Set 1 cup of the Parmesan aside and, for the luscious cheesy layer, mix up the rest of the Parmesan and remaining ingredients (except for the lasagna noodles, clearly).

Now for assemblage, often we use the stiff brittle lasagna noodles just as they are without boiling ahead. (This especially works when you are using Fresh tomatoes that are more juicy than your average tomato sauce.) So, pour a bit of sauce to cover the bottom of your 13x9 casserole pan. Layer the uncooked lasagna noodles side by side in the sauce. Spread with 1/2 of the cheese and spinach mixture. Cover with 1/2 of the sauce. Cover with another layer of noodles. Spread with the rest of the cheese and spinach mixture. Cover with remaining sauce.

Bake at 375F for 45 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the 1-cup Parmesan that you had set aside, and bake 30 minutes more. Broil at the end, if desired, to brown up the cheesy bits on top.

Tips from Elias: This is the best lasagna we've ever had. We hope our girl Me will make more soon.