Lasagna with Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach
entree
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 lb fresh spinach, the flat kind, washed and drained
- 3 tbsp pignoli (pine nuts) (optional)
- 1 28-ounce can of tomatoes, no salt added, chopped and drained (use the liquid for soup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, minced
- 1 large container ricotta
- 1 box lasagna noodles
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Cook the lasagna according the directions on the box. Meanwhile...
- Gently saute the garlic in the olive oil 6 minutes. Don't let it color. Turn the heat off and stir in the basil. Let it sit for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add the pignoli and stir a minute. They should just start to color. Pour onto a dish and set aside to cool.
- Roast the red pepper over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning when the flame side is blackened. Put in a paper bag for 5 minutes, then scrape off the burnt parts and slice thinly.
- Mix the pignoli and a few grindings of pepper into the ricotta.
- Lightly oil a baking dish. Layer the lasagna, spinach, red pepper, and ricotta, pouring sauce over the top.
- Pour the sauce over the top and bake at 350 for half an hour.
You can make a small quick lasagna in a loaf pan. Boil about 8 sheets of lasagna. Enrich a store-bought low-salt sauce (like Trader Joe's) with minced leftover beef and a swig of olive oil. Pour some sauce into the pan, cut a lasagna noodle to the right length, spoon ricotta directly from the container onto the lasagna, and repeat for a few layers. End with lots of sauce and mozzarella.
Servings: 4