A Suggestion for a Meatless Monday for Al Gore

I haven’t heard if Mr. Gore has joined the Meatless Monday campaign. I have been thinking about a meal that might be tempting for him to join. I make a Spinach Lasagna that my husband loves. In order to post this recipe for A.G., I actually had to figure out the exact quantities in this recipe. My daughter gets a little annoyed with me when she asks for a recipe, and I am not sure of the exact instructions. Sometimes I just cook, and the process is in my head. The other problem with that method is sometimes a dish turns out better than usual, and I don’t know what I did different. But enough about my life, I need to convince my planet saving friend to give up meat for a day, and I hope this recipe will do it. I spent extra time measuring and jotting down the amounts when I made this, and so I hope Al will give it a try!

Spinach Lasagna

Sauce

Saute the following:

small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Then add and simmer for about 15 minutes:

1 quart tomatoes, chopped

3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1 tablespoon dried basil

Cheese Mixture

Combine the following:

24 ounces cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

9 uncooked lasagna noodles (whole wheat works great)*

8 cups loosely packed chopped spinach

4 cups grated mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

In a 9x13 casserole dish, layer the following:

a little bit of sauce to cover the bottom of the pan, 3 noodles, 1/2 the cheese mixture, 1/2 the spinach, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the cheese, 3 noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/2 spinach, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the cheese, 3 noodles, cover noodles with remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake covered for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

It is best if you let it sit for at least 1 hour before cutting.



* I have used these whole wheat noodles in this recipe and my family didn't detect a difference in the taste from the regular noodles. One of the things I have hated about making lasagna is cooking the noodles before layering all the ingredients. This recipe works great to let the noodles cook during baking, and they actually absorb the taste of the sauce.