Spinach Lasagna

Recipe by Relish

Mark Boughton Photography / styling by Teresa Blackburn

Prepare the lasagna a day ahead and bake just before serving.

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce:: 3tablespoons olive oil; 1small yellow onion, finely chopped; 2cloves garlic, crushed; 1-- (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained; 1-- (28-ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes, undrained; 1tablespoon tomato paste; 1teaspoon sugar; 1teaspoon coarse salt; 1tablespoon dried oregano; 1tablespoon dried basil; 1/2teaspoon crushed red pepper; 1/2teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Lasagna:: 2 1/2cups whole-milk ricotta cheese; 2-- (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry; 1-- egg; 9-- no-cook lasagna noodles; 1pound part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced; 2/3cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

To prepare sauce, heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, but not brown.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and black pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 375F.
To prepare lasagna, combine ricotta cheese, spinach and egg in a large bowl; mix well.
Coat the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with a third of the tomato sauce. Cover sauce with 3 noodles without overlapping (break noodles to fit), half the ricotta mixture and half the mozzarella slices. Add half the remaining sauce, 3 noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and remaining mozzarella. Top with remaining 3 noodles, remaining sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. To make ahead of time, cover with foil and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Place pan on baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

Recipe by Carolyn Bertagnoli.