I made this tonight for dinner.  It’s a bit different from the recipe I normally use.  The white sauce and the sauteeing of the spinach with garlic.  Beware, it is definitely not a low-cal meal; it is, however, the perfect way to get in on that meat and cheese before lent, less than two months away.  Try it, really.  (Adapted from The Art of Simple Food, Alice Waters).  Everyone loved it, hope you do too!

Prepare:

1 pound Lasagna (fresh or store bought)

2 Cups tomato sauce (your own or store bought)

2 Cups bechamel sauce/white sauce

1 bunch of spinach washed, stems removed

2 cloves of garlic, minced

6 italian sausages squeezed from the casings.

1/2 pound ricotta cheese

olive oil

salt

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

nutmeg 

Cook:

Brown the sausage in a skillet.  Remove from pan and set aside.

add 1 Tbsp of Olive oil to the skillet.  Add the spinach and season with salt.  Cook until almost wilted, add garlic.  Cook for a minute or two and set aside.

Chop spinach finely and mix with ricotta 1 Tbsp olive oil and salt.

In a bowl, combine the white sauce with 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt.

Begin assemby:

Oil a 10X12 baking dish.  Spread a few spoonfuls of the white sauce on the bottom.  Lay out a layer of pasta then the ricotta mixture.  Sprinkle with browned sausage.  Add another layer of pasta and spoon in half of the tomato sauce.  Add another layer of pasta and pour over half the white sauce and top with another layer of pasta.

Repeat until you have 7 pasta layers (or just do your own layering system if you find this as confusing as I did)….end the final layer with pasta. Drizzle olive oil over the top, cover with foil.

Bake:

400 degrees for 20 minutes, remove the foil then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and bake for 15 minutes more.