Italian American Heritage Month (October)

Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 box no-boil lasagna noodles

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch crushed red pepper

28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

1 pound frozen spinach, thawed

15 ounce container part-skim ricotta

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak lasagna noodles in warm water until soft and pliable, about 20 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for a minute more, until garlic becomes fragrant but not brown.

3. Add tomatoes and their juices to the pan, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using a potato masher, break up the large chunks. Simmer until tomatoes start to break down, about 20 minutes. Add fresh basil and remove from heat.

4. In a large bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt with the spinach, ricotta and eggs.

5. Line the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan with a thin layer of sauce. On top of that, make one layer of lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of the spinach/cheese mixture on top of the noodles, and top with sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles and the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Cover tight with foil and bake 30-35 minutes.