Pasta : Weeknight Gourmet

Category : Pasta

Looking for Menu Ideas? Real Simple's Four-Week Dinner Plan

October 26 2010 | Leave a Comment

I used to grocery shop multiple times per week. I would just pick up what I needed for dinner that night on my way home from work. That’s not a realistic option now that Charlotte has come along and I am working full time. Menu planning (and some shortcuts courtesy of Trader Joe’s and Fresh Direct) has become key to my weeknight cooking.

October’s issue of Real Simple Magazine features a four-week dinner plan. Not having a ton of time to look for menu ideas, I decided to give Week 1 of the plan a whirl! I made 4 of the 5 recipes. They were all quite good but I thought the Penne with Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Mozzarella and the Pork Cutlets with Spicy Noodles really stood out! Real Simple provided a shopping list making my life even easier! I bought all of the ingredients on a Sunday and was prepared for a week of tasty, healthy eating!

The four recipes I made are below.

Roasted Tilapia, Potatoes, and Lemons

Very tasty! I used tri-colored fingerling potatoes which were tasty and provided some great color to the dish. The lemon and olives lend a great flavor to the very mild tilapia.

1 pound baby potatoes (about 12), halved
1 lemon, thinly sliced
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Heat oven to 400° F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, lemon, thyme, 2 tablespoons oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Roast, tossing once, until the potatoes begin to soften, about 20 minutes.

Toss the olives with the potato mixture; nestle the fish in it. Drizzle the fish with the remaining oil and season with paprika and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Continue to roast until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp and the fish is opaque throughout, 12 to 15 minutes.

Penne With Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Mozzarella

Delicious! I skipped the mint and used basil instead. I also added some grated parmesan.

1/2 pound penne (1⁄2 box)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1⁄4 pounds), cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the eggplant. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing, until the tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the tomato mixture to the pasta, along with the mozzarella and reserved cooking water. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with the mint.

Turkey Burgers With Creamy Romaine Slaw

This was my least favorite of the four dishes but it was still tasty! To save time I used shredded carrots. And, we used sandwich thins as opposed to buns to save on calories.

1 pound ground dark meat turkey (93 percent lean or less)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 scallions, sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 leaves romaine lettuce, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
4 soft rolls, split and toasted
potato chips and pickles, for serving

In a medium bowl, gently combine the turkey, mustard, thyme, and scallions. Form the meat into four ¾-inch-thick patties. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss with the lettuce and carrot.

Serve the burgers on the rolls, topped with the slaw. Serve with chips and pickles (if desired).

Pork Cutlets With Spicy Noodles

This was delicious! I had trouble finding udon noodles so I used a brown rice spaghetti that I found at Trader Joe’s. The noodles had great flavor from the broth, ginger, and jalapeno. The pork was delicious as well! I used two butterflied pork chops.

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 pound udon noodles
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced
1 red jalapeño pepper, sliced
4 thin pork cutlets (about 3⁄4 pound total)
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 scallions, sliced

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and ginger to a boil.

Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the noodles are al dente, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and jalapeño and simmer until the mushrooms are just tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Coat with the flour, then the egg, and finally the panko.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Slice the pork and serve over the noodles. Sprinkle with the scallions.

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Categories : Fish, Pasta, Pork, Turkey, Vegetarian entree

Meatless Monday: Fusilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese

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Tim and I are laying off the carbs for a few weeks but I made this Meatless Monday recipe in September and it was quick and tasty! I used baby spinach because that’s what I had on hand. The combo of parmesan and asiago was delicious! Making my life even easier, Fresh Direct sells grated asiago.

This pasta dish will even get your kids to eat their spinach!

Fusilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese
Giada de Laurentiis

1 pound fusilli pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
8 ounces (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper, and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.

Transfer the pasta to a serving plate and serve.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Summer Meatless Mondays: Corn Pesto

August 10 2010 | Leave a Comment

Here is another great summertime meatless Monday recipe using everyone’s favorite summer veggie — corn! If you are looking for a way to enjoy corn other than corn on the cob, this is a delicious and unique pasta sauce.

The corn pesto and bacon combination reminded me of a corn chowder. Make sure to save some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce — the pesto is pretty thick.

There is still nothing as delicious as a grilled ear of corn but this was definitely a tasty and different way to use corn.

Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto
Bon Appetit

4 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces tagliatelle or fettuccine
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Summer Meatless Mondays: Pasta Ponza

August 2 2010 | Leave a Comment

Here is a delicious vegetarian pasta recipe I made recently using my favorite food of summer — tomatoes! I had some beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes that I used. Roasting them only intensified their wonderful flavor! I would have enjoyed the tomato – caper – breadcrumb mixture on its own but it was even tastier when mixed with penne and Romano cheese.

Sorry about the lack of photos — I left my good camera in the Berkshires so I will be short on photos for a while.

Pasta Ponza
Giada de Laurentiis

Butter for greasing
2 cups (12 ounces) red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups (12 ounces) yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 cup Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs
1 pound ziti or other short tube-shaped pasta
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 ounces) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

Place the tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the prepared baking dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the pasta. Add the cheese and toss well. Thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Hail the Kale! Linguini with Breadcrumbs and Kale

June 14 2010 | Leave a Comment

I’ve belonged to a CSA for a few years now – CSA stands for “community supported agriculture” – basically you “invest” in a farmer and in return you get some of the farmer’s fresh produce each week. CSAs are great because they can expose you to vegetables that are not regularly on your shopping list. One of my favorite CSA discoveries is how much I LOVE kale. The kind I like goes by several names – black kale, Tuscan kale, cavalo nero, lacinato kale, dino kale. I think that last name refers to the fact that the leaves are dark green and bumpy and look like a dinosaur’s skin, or what I guess a dinosaur’s skin would have looked like. Lacinato Kale has this deep, mineral, healthy taste that I think I’m slightly addicted to now. Sauteed kale is really good atop rice or polenta or mixed into mashed potatoes. Anyway, yesterday I had some in my fridge, thanks to the good folks at Bending Bridge Farm in Pennsylvania.

I used it up in a recipe I recently found on Food52.com, a relatively new recipe site founded by Amanda Hesser (of “Cooking for Mr. Latte” fame) and her friend Merrill Stubbs. Each week Amanda and Merrill choose two themes, say “muffins” and “lamb chops,” then readers send in recipes for one of those themes, Amanda and Merrill choose two finalists in each category, and then readers vote for which they like better. A cookbook will be published of all the winning recipes.

“Linguini with Breadcrumbs and Kale” was submitted last year by a Food52’er with the screen name Hotplate Gourmet. It’s an easy and delicious recipe. I was thinking about skipping the bread crumbs, but then remembered I had some stale baguette pieces in the freezer that were waiting for such an occasion. Don’t skip the breadcrumbs, they’re delicious. I did follow Amanda and Merrill’s advice to cook the breadcrumbs and kale separately, to ensure the crumbs stayed nice and crisp. I scaled down the portions somewhat as I was cooking for just myself.

Linguini with Breadcrumbs and Kale
Submitted by “Hotplate Gourmet” to Food52.com

1/2 pound linguini
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices, day old bread, cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 bunch kale, chopped [ET note: Remove the tough center ribs from the leaves with a knife or your fingers, and cut the leaves into strips or roughly chop them.]
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Boil pasta according to the package in salted water.
Process bread in a food processor until it’s about the consistency of coarse cornmeal. [ET note: My pieces were not at all uniform and I liked having some that were bigger than others, like grain-of-rice sized.]
Heat ¼ c. oil in a frying pan and add the breadcrumbs. Once the breadcrumbs are slightly toasted and golden brown, add the garlic and continue to stir until well toasted. [ET note: As suggested by Food52’s editors, I took the breadcrumbs out of the pan at this point.]
Add the kale to the frying pan with a little bit of the pasta water and sauté quickly. [ET note: I cooked for about 7 min, sprinkling in spoonfuls of pasta water as needed.]
Toss the oil mixture with the drained pasta and add salt & pepper to taste. Add the rest of the oil as needed. Mix in parmesan and serve.

Serves 2-3

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Meatless Monday: Basil Pesto

June 7 2010 | Leave a Comment

On one of my excursions to Chelsea Market, I picked up a couple of bunches of gorgeous basil. I was buying something else but the fragrant basil leaves called to me and I couldn’t help but buy some!

I decided to make pesto because it is a great make-ahead item. I could make a batch and use some the same day and freeze the rest for a later date. We were having my brother and his family over and were planning on having a simple barbecue — hamburgers and hot dogs. I had bought a bunch of salads but wanted to make something. So I decided to toss some of the pesto with whole wheat penne for a simple pasta salad. I chilled the pasta salad and everyone loved it!

I followed the pesto recipe below which is a pretty typical basil pesto recipe but I doubled it so I would have some leftover for the freezer. I actually intend to defrost the pesto this week, marinade some chicken breasts in the pesto, and grill them up on my grill pan for a quick and easy dinner.

Pesto alla Genovese
Emeril Lagasse

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound dried or fresh farfalle pasta

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, salt, and pepper and process for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add the cheese, pine nuts, and garlic and, while the processor is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a mostly smooth sauce is formed. Transfer pesto to a bowl and set aside. (Note: Pesto may be made 1 day in advance and kept, refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the pesto from darkening. Pesto may also be frozen in the same manner in small quantities for use at a later date.)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, according to package directions, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. In a large bowl, toss pasta with pesto. Add a little of the reserved cooking liquid if pasta seems to dry. Serve immediately.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

It Feels Like Summer: Grilled Tomato Linguine

May 25 2010 | Leave a Comment

by Weeknight Gourmet Guest Blogger Happy Farrow

One of my favorite cookbooks is Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. I love that the book is organized by season with subcategories (soups and salads, main courses, pastas, sides, and desserts), and all of the recipes have a very short list of ingredients. While this one is delicious with tomatoes and thyme, I often stray a bit (e.g., use colorful heirloom tomatoes instead of plum). A simple pasta dish with grilled vegetables, olive oil, fresh herbs and cheese tastes great on a warm, almost-Summer evening!

Recently, I added grilled zucchini (cut lengthwise, salted and brushed with olive oil before grilling) and steamed corn (cut off the cob after steaming for 3 minutes), substituting basil for thyme and penne for linguine.

Grilled Tomato Linguine
Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

3 pounds plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 pound of linguine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping if desired

Heat grill to high. In a bowl, toss tomatoes, 3 tablespoons olive oil and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper. Starting with cut sides down, grill tomatoes until soft and charred, 8 to 12 minutes per side. Return tomatoes to bowl; cut into rough pieces with kitchen shears.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 pound linguine. Cook according to package instructions. Drain; return to pot.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, Parmesan, and grilled tomatoes. Divide among bowls, and serve immediately with more Parmesan, as desired.

Serves 4 to 6

Happy is freelance designer (http://www.happyfarrow.com/index.html) and lives in Boston with her husband James and daughter Cecily.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Meatless Monday: Pasta with Sweet Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, and Ricotta

May 10 2010 | Leave a Comment

Here’s another super easy meatless Monday recipe — courtesy of the new Everyday Food cookbook — that relies on spring produce. The thing I love about this recipe is that other than chopping a tablespoon of fresh tarragon there is absolutely no chopping involved! Perfect for a hectic weeknight (or for a gal who is nearly 41 weeks pregnant)!

A couple of very minor notes…I used penne because I had half a box in the pantry. And, I also added 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese to the dish. Because of the naturally salty flavor of the parmesan I didn’t really add any extra salt to the dish (other than salting the boiling water).

Our dinner was fresh, fast, and flavorful just like the cookbook title!

Pasta with Peas & Ricotta
Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces gemelli or other short pasta (e.g., penne)
12 ounces sugar snap peas, stem ends and any strings removed
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh tarragon, plus sprigs for garnish
1 cup ricotta cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions, adding snap peas 3 minutes before the end and frozen peas in the last minute of cooking. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables, and return them to pot.

Toss pasta and vegetables with butter, tarragon, and ricotta, adding enough reserved pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide pasta among shallow bowls, and garnish with tarragon sprigs.

Serves 4.

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Categories : One-pot meal, Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Almost Meatless Monday: Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

May 5 2010 | Leave a Comment

Today is my due date but Baby O is still happy so I am still blogging.

Ok, so we didn’t have a meatless Monday but this recipe could easily be adapted to be vegetarian but it is just so good with the pancetta, I am not sure you’ll want to eliminate it. If you opt for a vegetarian version, just saute the asparagus in olive oil instead of the pancetta drippings.

I just love spring produce and this recipe showcases some of my favorites– fresh asparagus, peas, and green onions. I cheated and used frozen peas, but bought some gorgeous asparagus, green onions, and fresh basil and parsley at the Manhattan Fruit Exchange. The lemon juice and zest adds a nice brightness to the dish and the pancetta adds great flavor.

The parmesan and cream make a nice light cream sauce. Since it was only two of us, I cut the penne by about one-third to half but used all of the veggies the recipe called for.

Tim and I both loved this dish! I definitely plan to make it again.

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta
Bon Appetit

12 ounces fettuccine or penne
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

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Categories : Pasta

Prepping for Baby: Vegetable Lasagna

April 26 2010 | Leave a Comment

My friend Suzanne had an adorable baby girl in February. She mentioned to me several weeks ago that she had made my favorite lasagna recipe before the baby was born and froze it. I decided that “make-ahead meals” would be a great blog series and way to prep for the baby. Unfortunately, the realities of running a start-up and the fatigue that accompanies the final weeks of pregnancy rendered this plan a bit ambitious.

But it was a rainy Sunday today and I rested all day so I decided that I would make a spinach lasagna. We ate some tonight for dinner and froze the leftover so that we now have a couple of meals waiting for us in our freezer post arrival of “Baby O”.

This lasagna recipe from the new Everyday Food cookbook is very simple but is a touch different because it uses fontina instead of mozzarella. The only change I made was to also add about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan to the ricotta mixture.

I made the sauce following the Basic Tomato Sauce recipe in the cookbook as well. All you need is an onion, some garlic, oregano, and canned whole tomatoes. I added a touch of tomato paste to thicken the sauce a little. I don’t think the homemade sauce added that much to the dish so if you have a favorite jarred sauce, use it to save some time.

In terms of the lasagna noodles, I love no-boil noodles. What a time saver! I have had good success with both Barilla and Ronzoni.

We loved the lasagna and I am sure it will taste even better to us, as two exhausted new parents.

Vegetable Lasagna
Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

32 ounces ricotta cheese (4 cups)
2 large eggs
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
6 cups tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (1-8 ounce package)
4 cups shredded fontina cheese (1 pound)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together eggs, ricotta, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Squeeze as much of the liquid out of the spinach as possible and add to ricotta mixture. Stir well to combine.

Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in 13″ x 9″ glass baking dish. Arrange 4 noodles on top. Spread one-third of ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by one-third of the remaining sauce, and one-third of the fontina. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with fontina.

(At this point, the lasagna can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.)

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes (40 minutes if previously frozen). Remove foil and continue baking until golden brown on top and sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Serves 8.

Basic Tomato Sauce
Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for 3 months. Let cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree