Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna
HELPFUL TIPS
You can make this higher in fiber by using whole wheat lasagna noodles, but you’ll likely need to boil them slightly and drain. (I haven’t seen no-cook whole-wheat lasagna noodles.) You can also replace the spinach with chopped kale (it’s tougher than spinach so needs to be chopped) or with Swiss chard or even beet greens.
As for the cheeses, as y’all know me by now, I’d definitely recommend the Greek and Cypriot cheeses anthotyro and halloumi respectively. Anthotyro is a low-fat whey cheese that you can find in Greek and Middle Eastern Markets. You can also substitute with farmer’s cheese or cottage cheese. As for the Halloumi, that’s a cheese similar to – but much firmer than – mozzarella, made either from sheep’s or cow’s milk. It’s fairly widely available in good supermarkets across the United States.
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil plus more for pan
- 1 red onion minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 28- ounce cans of chopped plum tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp dried Greek oregano
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 15- ounce container ricotta or Greek anthotyro cheese
- 1 cup grated halloumi or mozzarella cheese
- 4 cups raw baby spinach leaves washed and spun dry
- 1 pound no-boil flat lasagna noodles
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 F/170C.
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In a saucepan over medium heat warm the olive oil and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic. Add the canned tomatoes. Season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the oregano at the end, as soon as you turn off the heat.
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On the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish, ladle a little tomato sauce and a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Place a layer of noodles on top, covering the bottom of the pan. Spread ricotta or anthotyro cheese on top of the noodles, top with spinach, sprinkle with the grated halloumi or mozzarella cheese, and coat with a small ladle full of sauce. Repeat the layers until you get to the top of the pan. Sprinkle the final layer with grated halloumi or mozzarella cheese.
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Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is golden brown on top.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
