quick and easy spinach lasagna

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Nothing (not even the noodles!) needs to be precooked in this easy vegetarian lasagna (unless you make your own sauce, which you can do a week or more ahead of time). So it’s more like a DIY project, quickly assembled by stacking uncooked lasagna noodles, store-bought sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and fresh baby spinach. Magically, all this raw stuff bakes itself into a good, honest lasagna. And by the way, there’s no need to buy official “no boil” noodles. The liquid in the spinach and the sauce, plus a little water, will perfectly cook regular lasagna noodles (the kind with the curly edges that you usually have to pre-boil).

2 jars (about 6 cups) prepared tomato sauce, or 1 recipe Homemade Italian Tomato Sauce (Chapter 3: Pastas)

¾ pound lasagna noodles (about 12 noodles)

1 pound ricotta cheese

6 ounces (a few good-sized handfuls) fresh baby spinach

1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 375°F (350°F if you’ll be using a glass pan). Have ready a 9-by 13-inch baking pan or its equivalent.

2. Spoon a generous cup of the tomato sauce into the baking pan and spread it around. It won’t completely cover the bottom, but that’s okay. Cover the sauce with a single layer of noodles, edges touching (you can break some, if necessary, to make a single layer that covers the whole pan).

3. Drop spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese here and there over the noodles, using half the ricotta. You don’t need to cover the noodles completely with the cheese. Spoon, and lightly spread, another cup or so of the tomato sauce over the ricotta. Don’t worry if there are chunks in the sauce and it spreads somewhat unevenly. Layer on half of the spinach leaves, pressing them into the sauce. (Don’t be alarmed if this looks like a lot of spinach. It cooks down during baking.) Then sprinkle the spinach with about half of the mozzarella.

4. Place another single layer of noodles on top of the mozzarella, and drop spoonfuls of the remaining ricotta on top, using up all the ricotta.

5. Spoon on half of the remaining sauce, spreading it around. Layer on the rest of the spinach, pressing it down, and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the spinach.

6. Make a final layer of noodles on top of the spinach, and spoon the remaining sauce on top of the noodles.

7. Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil and bake, undisturbed, for 1 hour.

8. Remove and save the foil, sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the Parmesan, and return the pan to the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is golden.

9. Remove the pan from the oven and cover it with the foil again. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. (This step helps ensure that the noodles are completely cooked and that the lasagna has solidified, so it will come out in neat squares or rectangles.)

GET CREATIVE

• If you use store-bought sauce instead of making your own, your selection will greatly influence the final flavor of your lasagna. So experiment with various brands and flavors (mushroom, basil, roasted garlic, etc.) to find your favorite.
• Stir 1 tablespoon minced garlic and/or ¼ cup (packed) minced basil into the ricotta.
• Use fresh ricotta—the kind sold in bulk at the cheese counter of some markets. It’s a splurge, but it tastes extra-creamy and rich.
• Add up to 2 cups of chopped cooked vegetables, such as mushrooms, broccoli, or cauliflower, to the sauce.