Description
This Spinach Artichoke Lasagna is a healthy and flavorful vegetarian dish packed with fresh spinach, artichokes, and a simple homemade tomato sauce. It combines creamy cottage cheese, tender spinach-artichoke filling, and melted fontina or mozzarella cheese layered between no-boil noodles for an easy, wholesome meal perfect for family dinners or meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
Tomato Sauce
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Spinach Artichoke Mixture
- 2 cups (16 ounces) low fat cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 smallish red onion)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 cup jarred or defrosted frozen artichokes, drained, quartered if necessary
- 12 ounces baby spinach, preferably organic
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Assembly
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups (5 ounces) shredded fontina cheese or low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella
- Garnish: sprinkling of additional chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Prepare Tomato Sauce: Preheat oven to 425°F. Drain the canned diced tomatoes in a fine colander or mesh sieve to remove excess juice. Transfer the drained tomatoes to a food processor bowl, add chopped fresh basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic cloves, salt, and red pepper flakes. Pulse about 10 times until the sauce is spreadable. Pour the sauce into a bowl and set aside.
- Process Cottage Cheese: Rinse the food processor bowl. Place half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer this smooth cottage cheese to a large mixing bowl.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chopped red onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Cook Spinach and Artichokes: Add the artichokes to the skillet, followed by a few large handfuls of spinach. Stir and toss frequently until the spinach wilts. Repeat adding the remaining spinach in batches until all is cooked. Continue cooking and stirring for about 12 minutes until the spinach volume has greatly reduced and there’s very little moisture left in the pan.
- Chop Spinach Artichoke Mixture: Transfer the cooked spinach-artichoke mixture to the food processor and pulse 12 to 15 times until finely chopped but not pureed. Add this mixture to the bowl containing the smooth cottage cheese. Add the remaining cottage cheese on top and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 1: Spread ½ cup of the tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish. Arrange 3 no-boil lasagna noodles side by side, overlapping edges as needed. Spread half of the spinach mixture evenly over the noodles, then spread ½ cup tomato sauce over the spinach. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 2: Place 3 more noodles on top of the first layer. Spread the remaining spinach mixture evenly over these noodles. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese over the spinach layer. (No tomato sauce on this layer.)
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 3: Top with the final 3 noodles. Spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the noodles so that they are fully covered. Sprinkle the last 1 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the sauce.
- Bake: Cover the lasagna with parchment paper or tightly with aluminum foil, making sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes covered. Remove the cover and rotate the pan 180 degrees, then bake uncovered for an additional 12 minutes until the top is spotty brown and bubbly.
- Rest and Serve: Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes to set. Sprinkle with additional chopped fresh basil before slicing and serving.
Notes
- This vegetarian lasagna uses fresh spinach and jarred artichokes for a nutritious and tasty filling loaded with vegetables.
- The homemade tomato sauce is quick and simple, avoiding excess liquid with draining the tomatoes first.
- The recipe yields one 9-inch square lasagna, providing 8 to 9 servings.
- The dish tastes even better the next day as flavors meld together.
- Use no-boil noodles to simplify assembly and cooking time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approximate)
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 758 mg
- Fat: 18.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 7.5 g
- Protein: 20.8 g
- Cholesterol: 38 mg
