Spinach, Ricotta, and Tomato Artichoke Lasagna
Overview
Whenever I'm using our tomato-artichoke pasta sauce, at an event in the big beautiful Bella Sun Luci test kitchen, or at one of the national or international food shows I cook at each year, I say this to my audience, "This is the best tomato sauce in a jar I've ever tasted, and when you open the jar, an Italian grandma comes out and cooks you dinner". THAT'S what this sauce tastes like...like an Italian grandma made it, with love. The rest of the recipe is nice, but the sauce makes it. Try it on anything. I prefer fresh spinach to frozen. Just barely sautee 10-12 ounces fresh spinach in a little oil or butter, let it cool to the point at which you can handle it, squeeze out the liquid, and discard, then chop it, follow the directions in the recipe from there and you'll be happy you did.
Ingredients
- 1 box lasagna noodles, (8 ounces), cooked according to directions on package
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp Bella Sun Luci Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and drained
- 1 25oz jar Bella Sun Luci Tomato Artichoke Pasta Sauce
- 1 lb. ricotta
- ¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dry Italian seasoning blend
- Basil leaves for garnish
Serves 1
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Fill a large pan with water, add salt and bring to boil.
- In a medium bowl blend ricotta with the drained spinach and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese.
- sauté the onion in the olive oil until it is tender for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and pepper and continue to sauté until the garlic is golden, about 3-5 minutes.
- Drain cooked pasta noodles. Line the bottom of a 8x8x2 baking dish with one layer of lasagna noodles.
- Spoon ricotta-spinach mixture on top of noodles spreading to make an even layer. Pour ¼ - ½ cup of the pasta sauce to cover and gently spread.
- Repeat layers of pasta, ricotta mixture, and sauce until pan is filled. Top with remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Slice into individual servings and garnish each plate with fresh basil leaves if desired.
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