4 lb. fresh spinach, or 2 lb. frozen chopped spinach
1 lb. soft tofu
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2 egg whites
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
9 lasagna noodles
3 large red bell peppers, roasted and seeded
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
1. To make the spicy tomato sauce, in a small bowl, stir together
the pepper, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Set aside.
2. In a large Dutch oven or other deep, heavy pot over medium-
high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until
beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-
low, cover and cook the onion until it releases its juices, about 5
minutes. Stir in the minced garlic. Add the plum tomatoes and
their juice. Using a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes into 1-
inch chunks. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice and the
tomato sauce, and then stir in the spice mixture. Raise the heat to
medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to
medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has the
thickness of tomato puree, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat and use immediately, or let
cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2
months. Makes about 3 quarts. You need 8 cups for this recipe;
reserve the rest for another use.
4. If using fresh spinach, rinse it carefully in 2 or 3 changes of
water, discarding the tough stems and any damaged leaves. Drain
briefly in a colander and then, working in batches if necessary,
transfer to a large saucepan with only the water that clings to the
leaves. Place over medium-high heat, cover and cook, turning the
leaves a couple of times, until wilted and still slightly firm to the
bite, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain well and chop finely. Squeeze the
spinach with your hands to remove most of the moisture. If using
frozen spinach, cook according to the package directions, let cool
and squeeze out any excess moisture.
5. Cut the tofu into about 16 pieces. Hold each piece in your hand
over the sink or a bowl and gently squeeze to remove some of the
water. Crumble the tofu into a large bowl; it should resemble
cottage cheese. Add the ricotta and egg whites and stir until well
combined. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/2 cup of the
mozzarella, then stir in the salt and pepper.
6. Preheat an oven to 350°F. To assemble the lasagna, cover the
bottom of a 9-by-13-by-3-inch baking dish with 4 cups of the
tomato sauce. Arrange 3 of the noodles on top of the sauce. Cover
the noodles with half of the roasted bell peppers, cutting them as
needed to lay flat. There will be spaces. Cover the peppers with
half of the spinach, using your fingers to pull apart any clumps.
7. Sprinkle half of the minced garlic evenly over the spinach. Using
a large spoon, dollop half of the cheese mixture on top of the
spinach. With the back of the spoon, gently spread the cheese as
much as possible without pulling up the spinach. There will be
some spaces. Top with another layer of the noodles, and then the
remaining peppers, spinach, garlic and cheese mixture. Cover with
the remaining 3 noodles. Spread the remaining 4 cups tomato
sauce over the top. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
8. Bake until the pasta is almost soft when tested with a knife,
about 1 1/4 hours. Uncover the lasagna. Sprinkle the remaining
1/2 cup mozzarella evenly over the top. Replace the foil. Continue
to bake until the pasta is soft and the cheese on top is melted,
about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven, uncover and let
the lasagna rest for 20 minutes. Cut into rectangles and serve.
Originally Submitted
10/10/2012
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