Pesto Lasagna With Spinach And Sun Dried Tomatoes Food

PESTO LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sautégarlic and onion in olive oil until onions are soft. Reduce heat and stir in the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes. Stir in spice and 1/2-1 can of tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 1 hour.
• Thaw spinach and squeeze all of the water out. I use 1 and 3/4 packages of spinach--adjust to your taste. Mix ricotta and cottage cheese in a large bowl. Stir in spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and salt and pepper to taste. When you have the taste to your liking, stir in the egg. This will help keep the lasagna together, but you will not taste it in the final product.
• Layer as follows into a 9x13 pan: Drizzle a little sauce in the bottom. Top with noodles. Spread Spinach mix and cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella slices and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat two more times, ending with cheese on the very top. Sprinkle the top with a little oregano and black pepper for aesthetic appearance.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. This dish can be made in advance and cooked right before serving.

SUPER-FAST SPINACH, PESTO AND CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Blend ricotta and Parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.
• Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

EASY SPINACH LASAGNE WITH PESTO AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish or lasagne pan.
• Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce on bottom of dish.
• Mix together Ricotta, egg, and pesto until thoroughly blended.
• Layer noodles, ricotta and pesto mixture, spinach, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup pasta sauce.
• Repeat layers using remaining ingredients.
• Bake 1 hour at 350°F.

LINGUINE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Combine sun-dried tomatoes, Romano cheese, basil, pine nuts and garlic in food processor. With machine running, gradually add olive oil and process until smooth paste forms. (Can be made prepared 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Combine 3/4 cup tomato pesto with reserved cooking liquid in same pot. Add linguine and toss over medium-high heat to coat, adding more pesto, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

LASAGNA FLORENTINE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO MARINARA

Steps:

• For the marinara sauce, heat the olive in oil in a large sauce pan; saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in hot oil for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, wine, fennel seeds and dried basil; reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered until slightly reduced; approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
• Process in batches in blender until mixture is chopped but not smooth, keep warm while assembling the other ingredients.
• For the lasagna, place the cottage cheese, egg, nutmeg, parsley flakes and salt/pepper to taste in small mixer bowl, mix until curds begin to break down and mixture is combined well; stir in 1/4 cup of the grated Asiago cheese.
• To assemble the lasagna, spray a 13x9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, place 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of pan, top with 3 cooked and lightly towel dried lasagna noodles, top with 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 of the sauce, half the mozzarella cheese, half of the spinach and sprinkle generously with a third portion of the grated Asiago cheese, repeat layer 1 time.
• End with a layer of noodles topped off with remaining sauce and grated cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 30 to 45 minutes; let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• This can be assembled ahead and refrigerated until ready to cook; if refrigerated please allow an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the lasagna to cook through.