Description
A healthy and delicious vegetarian spinach artichoke lasagna combining fresh spinach, tender artichokes, a simple homemade tomato sauce, creamy cottage cheese, and melted fontina cheese. Perfect for a comforting meal that tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
Scale
Tomato Sauce
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Spinach Artichoke Mixture
- 2 cups (16 ounces) low fat cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 smallish red onion)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 cup jarred or defrosted frozen artichokes, drained, quartered if necessary
- 12 ounces baby spinach, preferably organic
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Assembly
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups (5 ounces) shredded fontina cheese or low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella
- Garnish: sprinkling of additional chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Prepare Tomato Sauce: Preheat oven to 425°F. Drain diced tomatoes in a sieve for about a minute to remove excess juice. Transfer drained tomatoes to a food processor bowl. Add fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Pulse approximately 10 times until you get a spreadable consistency. Pour sauce into a bowl and set aside. You should have roughly 2 cups of sauce.
- Blend Cottage Cheese: Rinse the food processor bowl and place back on the machine. Add half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer smooth cottage cheese to a large mixing bowl. Do not clean the food processor again as it will be reused shortly.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chopped red onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook while stirring constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Cook Spinach and Artichokes: Add artichokes to the skillet, then add a large handful of spinach. Toss and stir frequently until the spinach wilts. Repeat with remaining spinach. Continue cooking for about 12 minutes until spinach reduces significantly and most moisture evaporates.
- Chop Spinach Artichoke Mixture: Transfer the cooked spinach and artichoke mixture to the food processor bowl. Pulse 12 to 15 times until finely chopped but not pureed. Transfer chopped mixture to the whipped cottage cheese bowl. Add the remaining cottage cheese and mix well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 1: Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish. Layer 3 no-boil lasagna noodles on top, slightly overlapping edges. Spread half of the spinach-cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with ½ cup tomato sauce and sprinkle ½ cup shredded fontina cheese evenly.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 2: Place 3 more lasagna noodles on top. Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese. Note: no tomato sauce in this layer.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 3: Top with the last 3 noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over noodles, covering them completely. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Bake: Cover the assembled lasagna with parchment paper or tightly with foil (avoid foil touching cheese). Bake covered for 18 minutes at 425°F. Remove cover, rotate pan 180 degrees, and bake uncovered for an additional 12 minutes until the top is golden brown and spotty.
- Rest and Serve: Remove lasagna from oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. Garnish with additional chopped fresh basil before slicing and serving.
Notes
- This vegetarian lasagna is packed with nutritious spinach and artichokes and features a simple homemade tomato sauce that enhances freshness.
- The dish improves in flavor the next day, making it excellent for leftovers.
- Recipe yields one 9-inch square lasagna, suitable for 8 to 9 servings.
- Use no-boil lasagna noodles to save time and simplify preparation.
- Wrap the lasagna properly during baking to prevent cheese from drying out but avoid foil contact with cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 757.5 mg
- Fat: 18.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 7.5 g
- Protein: 20.8 g
- Cholesterol: 38.1 mg
