Florentine Lasagna

Is there anything more tempting than a generous serving of lasagna oozing cheese and dripping sauce? Lasagna originated in Emillia-Romagna, the region of north central Italy where egg pasta was created. Lasagna noodles come in the form of fresh (from specialty food markets or homemade if you have a pasta machine), dry (need to cook this variety first before making lasagna) and no-boil (you don’t need to cook first). We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time. There are many recipes for lasagna and this particular one I’m saving to make again!

Serves 6-8
recipe from Ultimate Italian

12 oz. bulk Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 egg, lightly beaten
15 oz. ricotta cheese or 2 cups cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
8 oz. sliced mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375f. For meat sauce: In a large saucepan, cook sausage and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water; drain again.

For filling: In a medium bowl, combine egg, ricotta and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Stir in spinach. To assemble, in an ungreased 12×7.5×2 inch baking pan, arrange three of the cooked noodles. Spread with half of the filling. Top with half of the meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Great flavors here and if you choose to use the ‘no boil’ lasagna noodles as I did, make sure you have more sauce and cover the lasagna while it’s baking. Remove the meat to make this a vegetarian dish and add finely chopped zucchini and sliced mushrooms. Serve with your favorite salad and a glass of wine. Perfecto!