It’s no secret I like foods I can make in advance and have magically appear come dinner time. It’s also no secret that I like to take comfort food, add one or two healthy ingredients (por ejemplo spinach and artichokes) and declare the entire dish health food. This recipe combines both of these non-secrets. The result is a ridiculously yum lasagna you can throw in the oven whenever your bod needs it. Have an extra slab or two… it’s a veggie lasagna after all.

Inspired by CookieandKate

A few notes- just make this work in whatever dish you can. The recipe I followed said to use a 9X9 dish. I used a 9X13 and just added more noodles where I can. I also doubled the amount of spinach the original recipe required to make this dish feel a little healthier. The no-boil noodles are amazing but you might have to break some up to make the layers work. This feels weird because they are uncooked but it all works out after cooking. The layering of sauce, then cheese, etc is not a science so again, just do whatever works to get all these yummy flavors into a dish, covered in cheese and in the oven.

You’ll need:

Tomato sauce (Or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce but make it a thick one. With all the veggies in this dish the lasagna will get watery if you don’t have a thick sauce.)

• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 0.25 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Spinach artichoke mixture

• 2 cups (16 ounces) part skim ricotta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 smallish red onion)
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 cup defrosted frozen artichokes, drained, quartered if necessary
• 24 ounces baby spinach
• Black pepper,

Remaining lasagna ingredients

• 10 no boil lasagna noodles (or however many you’ll need)
• 2 cups (or more if it’s your spirit) shredded low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella Garnish: sprinkling of additional chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and let them drain off excess juice for a minute. Transfer drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper flakes. Pulse the mixture about 10 times. Pour into a bowl. Sauce done.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and 0.25 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the artichoke to the skillet, and then add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Keep adding handfuls of the spinach at a time, waiting for them to wilt before adding more. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spinach has dramatically reduce in volume and very little moisture remains in the bottom of the pan.
4. Transfer the spinach artichoke mixture to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the contents are finely chopped (not puréed), about 12 to 15 times. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the ricotta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spread ½ cup tomato sauce over the bottom of your pan. Layer three lasagna noodles on top (or however many piece broken or whole), overlapping their edges as necessary. Spread half of the spinach mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ½ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
6. Top with three more noodles, followed by the remaining spinach mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top. (We’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Top with three more noodles, then spread the remaining tomato sauce over the top so the noodles are evenly covered. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
7. Cover lasagna tightly with aluminum foil, but don’t let the foil touch the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180 degrees and continue cooking for about 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes before sprinkling with chopped basil and slicing.