A classic. This can be prepared in advance and baked before serving, or baked and then frozen.
Prep time: 15 minutes; start to finish: about 1 hour
Ingredients
- 9-12 lasagna noodles – use the no bake noodles for even less prep time
- 3 to 4 cups good tomato sauce – about 1 large jar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups cooked spinach, squeezed dry and chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds fresh) – it’s fine to use frozen, chopped spinach, too
- 1 ½ cups ricotta
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 cups grated Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Cook the pasta (skip if you’re using pre-baked noodles): bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and follow the instructions for cooking.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease a rectangular baking dish with the olive oil, add several spoonfuls of tomato sauce and spread it around.
- Put a layer of noodles in the dish, top with a layer of tomato sauce, one-third of the spinach, and one-fourth of the ricotta (spread evenly), the mozzarella and the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Repeat the layers twice, and finish with the remaining noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.
- If making ahead unbaked, wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to a day or frozen. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
- Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving, or cool completely, cover well, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze.
