Dinner Tonight: Done! Broccoli & Three Cheese Lasagna

Last week I picked up Real Simple’s Dinner Tonight: Done! on a whim at the grocery store checkout.  I was hungry and the cover photo looked yummy!  When I got home, I couldn’t believe I had picked up yet another cookbook but this one has not been a disappointment.

I have already made two recipes from it and have another two planned for this week.  The recipes do not require a lot of ingredients, are relatively quick, and (so far) have been very flavorful.

I made this lasagna recipe for my book club meeting last week.  Everyone loved it — even one woman who doesn’t normally like cheese!  Tim and Charlotte had leftovers and both gobbled it up.  I didn’t know an 18-month-old could eat so much lasagna!

A few notes – make sure to thaw the broccoli and to squeeze the excess water out of it so that the lasagna is not soggy.  I used Rao’s marinara sauce — it is a bit pricey but so delicious!  I doubled the recipe and we were able to get two dinners out of it.  And, lastly, definitely use fresh mozzarella — it melts beautifully and tastes delicious!

The prep and assembly of the lasagna was super quick; so, as long as you have 40 minutes for it to bake, it is definitely doable on a weeknight! Tweet

Broccoli & Three Cheese Lasagna
Real Simple
•    1 15-ounce container ricotta (about 1 3/4 cups)
•    1 pound frozen broccoli florets—thawed, patted dry, and chopped
•    2 1/4 cups grated mozzarella (9 ounces)
•    1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
•    kosher salt and black pepper
•    1 16-ounce jar marinara sauce
•    1/2 cup heavy cream
•    8 no-boil lasagna noodles
•    2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the foil
•    4 cups mixed greens
•    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Heat oven to 400º F. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, broccoli, 2 cups of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan,½  teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a small bowl, combine the marinara sauce and cream.

Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Top with 2 noodles, a quarter of the remaining sauce, and a third of the broccoli mixture; repeat twice. Top with the remaining 2 noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan.

Cover tightly with an oiled piece of foil and bake until the noodles are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Toss the greens with the olive oil, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the lasagna.