Book Club Vegetarian Lasagne

Yield: 8-10 servings
Time: 30-45 minutes active (+ 45 minutes cooking)

We needed a vegetarian dish, that we could make quickly after getting home from work, and that could serve the 10 people who came to book club. Voila, our Book Club Lasagne.

It always varies depending on what’s available. The two cheeses and the herb mixture can be prepared in the time it takes to make the noodles. If time is short, you can make the night before: noodles, cheese mixtures, thaw and drain the frozen spinach.

Ingredients

• 1 pound package of lasagne noodles
• 1 pound mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 pound fontina cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons of available herbs: oregano, thyme, basil
• a few twists of fresh black pepper
• 15 oz container of ricotta
• 1/2 container of cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 x 16 oz package of frozen spinach or kale, thawed and drained
• 2 x 30 oz marinara cans
• 1/4 cup parmesan, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare noodles according to package directions. Cook to al dente, and once in strainer, run cool water over noodles to prevent noodles from sticking together.
3. Prepare mozzarella-fontina mixture: shred mozzarella and fontina cheeses in food processor, combine in bowl, set aside.
4. Prepare ricotta mixture: combine ricotta, 1/2 container of cottage cheese and egg in medium bowl; stir until blended. Add herbs and fresh black pepper. Set aside.
5. Squeeze moisture out of thawed spinach.
6. Build lasagne in 9×13 baking dish: thin layer of marinara, layer of noodles, layer of ricotta-herb mixture, layer of spinach, sprinkle mozzarella-fontina, marinara, noodles, ricotta-herb, spinach, mozzarella-fontina, marinara, etc. Should be able to get 4 layers of noodles in pan. Finish with noodles and sauce. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella-fontina and parmesan.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbling. May need to cover top with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning or burning.

Source: from Juliet Gray