spinach and ricotta lasagna

Talk about a seriously delicious and gorgeous vegetarian dish, satisfying enough for even the hungriest of giants! Earthy spinach and creamy ricotta make this a culinary marriage made in Heaven. Plus, who ever knew that eating a big ol’ plate of lasagna could be so good for you? With the vitamin C–packed spinach and the calcium-packed ricotta, this dish packs a one-two punch. You should be able to find gluten-free lasagna sheets at most of your local grocery or health food shops. Promise us you’ll give this recipe a try for your next Sunday family dinner and we’ll promise you that everyone is going to love it! Don’t forget—you can use the homemade sauce from our Spaghetti with Meatballs recipe (here) for this, or any store-bought variety you like. Eat up, everyone!

SERVES 8 TO 10

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

7 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and patted dry (about 10 to 12 ounces)

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon Emeril’s Italian Seasoning or Italian seasoning of your choice

½ teaspoon celery salt

Salt and black pepper to taste

3 cups tomato-based pasta sauce of choice

1 box (16 sheets total) no-boil gluten-free/wheat-free lasagna sheets

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

STEPS

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large (3-quart) sauté pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes.

Add the spinach, in batches, to the pan until it has all been included and is wilted, about 3 minutes.

Add the ricotta, Italian seasoning, celery salt, and salt and pepper, stirring well to incorporate all the spinach with the ricotta and seasonings. Turn off the heat.

In a 13 × 9–inch lasagna pan or baking dish, start to assemble the lasagna: ladle 2 spoonfuls of pasta sauce into the dish and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Continue assembling the lasagna in steps 6 through 9.

Make a single layer of 4 uncooked lasagna sheets on top of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Layer 4 generous spoonfuls of the spinach-ricotta mixture over the sheets, spreading the mixture out as best as possible to cover the sheets.

Top with one-third of the remaining sauce, one-quarter of the Parmesan cheese, and another layer of lasagna sheets.

Repeat steps 7 and 8 twice to make two more layers with all of the ingredients. Then make your final layer, which consists of lasagna sheets, the remaining spinach-ricotta mixture, and the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for an initial 30 minutes before covering with foil and baking another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lasagna sheets are cooked through.

Let stand 4 to 5 minutes before serving.