Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Spinach and Ricotta Filling for a Crowd, using No-Boil Noodles

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Spinach and Ricotta Filling

Vegetarian lasagna (aka veggie lasagna) might be a bit of a cliche, but everyone loves it, and it has the great advantages that you can do it ahead for a crowd, and it finishes in the oven, so you can concentrate on your guests.

I make mine without a bechamel sauce, opting for a spinach and ricotta mixture to provide the creaminess. I also prefer it to set up to a fairly firm, sliceable "pie", but if you like a wetter version, you could do the sauce 1.5 x or even double.

The keys to a great veggie lasagna are (1) get all the liquid out of the veggies, (2) get the cheese on top really crispy. You don't want to go too heavy on the vegetables, otherwise you can get a lot of weeping and/or unpleasant crunchiness. For this version, the only thing I added besides the spinach was some sauteed cauliflower. If you'd like more vegetables but no weeping liquid, check out this summer squash and portobello mushroom lasagna variation.

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This was the first time that I've tried the no-boil lasagna noodles. They are pretty much just standard noodles except rolled thinner, so that they simply cook in the sauce while the lasagna bakes. I would say they are 87.3% as good as traditional. Perhaps a slight pastiness, but quite acceptable. They need more sauce to ensure proper moistening. If you want to use regular noodles, just boil them first according to package directions and reduce the tomato sauce more (or use less of it).

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Spinach and Ricotta Filling
Serves at least 8
Vegetarian; not vegan or gluten-free

• 1 plastic produce bag stuffed tightly full of spinach (preferably not baby spinach)
• 1 lb. ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 head cauliflower florets and some stem, cut small
• 2 large (28 oz.) cans plain tomato sauce
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1.5 pounds no-boil lasagna noodles (or regular lasagna noodles, par-boiled)
  
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 lb. grated mozzarella
• 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese

1. Clean the spinach well and wilt it, cool, squeeze out all water, stir it into the ricotta along with the nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste, then beat in the eggs.
2. Saute the onion & garlic  in a good amount of olive oil, add the cauliflower and saute 5 minutes, add the tomato sauce and lemon zest, simmer 5 minutes, salt to taste
3. Oil an 11" x 13" pan (at least 2" deep). Build up layers of noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Be sure to get the noodles quite wet since they are the no-boil type and need plenty of moisture. You'll have about 4 layers total. I do sauce on every layer, but ricotta on some and mozzarella on others. Do what you feel.
   
4. Finish with a heavy layer of mozzarella and the parm, mixed together.
5. Bake at 375 F., covering with tin foil part of the time if needed to avoid overbrowning. It is done when internal temp is say 170 F. (check a few spots) or when you can easily pierce the noodles with a fork, and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.
6. If the cheese isn't crispy and brown enough, finish judiciously with the broiler.
7. Allow to rest at least 15 minutes before serving so it has time to set up a bit.