Spicy Kale Lasagna

Mmm.. I am having good memories of this lasagna.

Are you ready for cool weather comfort foods?  I'm sure you northerners are.  I'm getting in the mood myself, but the southern weather is getting in the way!  This lasagna is a great way to transition into fall- not too heavy, since there's no meat involved.  Some vegetarian lasagnas leave something to be desired, but I really love this version- very filling and you don't miss the meat at all.

 

I want to tell you more about this lasagna, but there's a crazy, silly toddler making it difficult to hear myself think. So you'll just have to trust me on this one!

Tell me, though- what cool weather dishes are you looking forward to?

Spicy Kale Lasagna
-adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from A Couple Cooks

Ingredients:

• 1¼ lbs. kale (or spinach), stems removed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, (preferably with herbs)
• 1 (15.5 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 4 cups cottage cheese (I usually use a mix of cottage cheese and ricotta)
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¾ tsp. pepper
• 16 no-boil lasagna noodles (or noodles cooked according to package directions)

To prepare the kale, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the kale to the pot and boil for 2 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.  Wrap the kale inside a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much excess liquid as possible.  Chop roughly, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

To make the tomato sauce, combine the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in a cold saucepan.   Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently.  Once bubbling, cook for about 30 seconds.  Mix in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, reduce heat and let simmer 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

To make the cheese mixture, strain all of the liquid out of the cottage cheese.  (I used a fine mesh strainer and pressed down to remove the liquid.)  Mix in ½ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  To assemble the lasagna, add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Cover with a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese mixture, half of the kale, and half of the remaining sauce.  Add another layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining kale.  Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan.

Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned.  Let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.