Springtime Lasagna Food

SPRINGTIME LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Combine the first 3 ingredients, spread 1 1/2 cup sauce mixture over the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce in baking dish.
• Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, coat pan with cooking spray. Add spinach to pan, saute 4 minutes or until wilted. Transfer spinach to a large bowl.
• Return pan to heat, coat with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and 1/4 tsp salt to pan, saute 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Add garlic, saute 1 minute.
• Add mushroom mixture, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, oregano, and next 4 ingredients (through egg) to spinach, stirring well.
• Spread 1/2 of ricotta mixture over noodles, top with 4 noodles. Repeat procedure with remaining ricotta mixture and last 4 noodles, ending with noodles.
• Pour remaining sauce mixture over noodles.
• Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 40 minutes. Combine Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle evenly over lasagna, bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

SPRING LASAGNA WITH CARROTS, PEAS, AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Position oven rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 350°.
• Make the sauce: heat a large pan over medium heat, add in butter and olive oil; when butter has almost melted, add the onion; cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add in garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 15 seconds.
• Pour in the tomatoes and their juice along with the peas and carrots; stir well and bring mixture to a simmer.
• Stir in the thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; simmer just to blend the flavors and boil off a lot of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• You don't want sauce as thick as ragu-more like a loose tomato sauce but beware of a watery sauce.
• Remove pan from heat and set aside.
• Cheese filling: whisk the ricotta, eggs, and lemon zest in a big bowl; do not beat-the ricotta should not turn watery.
• Prepare asparagus: trim off any beige or woody ends; shave off the outer skin to ensure that the spears will be tender after they are baked.
• If you asparagus is not pencil thin, shave down the spears with a vegetable peeler.
• Assemble the lasagna in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan as follows: 1 cup tomato sauce spread across the bottom of the pan; 3 no-boil noodles; 1 ½ cups tomato sauce; half the cheese filling (use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly); half the asparagus spears (lay them tip to root in alternating directions); 3 more no-boil noodles; 1 ½ cups tomato sauce, the remaining cheese filling, the remaining asparagus spears, the remaining noodles, and finally the remaining tomato sauce.
• Cover pan with a layer of parchment paper, then a layer of foil.
• Bake for 35 minutes, then uncover the pan and continue baking until bubbling and gooey, about 10 minutes.
• Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

NO-BAKE SUMMER LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, and 2 teaspoons oil; season with salt and pepper. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add garlic and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until slightly broken down, about 3 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil and zucchini to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to another bowl and stir in basil.
• Place some tomatoes on four plates; top with a noodle and small spoonfuls ricotta, zucchini, and more tomatoes. Repeat layering twice, then top with remaining noodles and tomatoes. Garnish with basil.

BROKEN LASAGNA WITH PARMESAN AND ALL THE PEAS

Steps:

• Break each noodle into 3 or 4 rough squares and add to a large pot of boiling generously salted water. (It's okay if a few smaller pieces break off in the process; add them to the pot too, along with any stray shards at the bottom of the box.) Cook, stirring occasionally and adding snow peas and shelled peas for the final 2 minutes, until al dente, 8-12 minutes. Drain pasta and peas, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, Parmesan, butter, and 1½ tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Add pasta, peas and 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid and toss, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed if mixture looks dry, until Parmesan and butter are melted and noodles are well coated. Add sugar snap peas; toss again just to combine.
• Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with shaved Parmesan and cracked pepper.