Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Tomato Sauce

This is from the America's Test Kitchen "Cover and Bake" cookbook. It's awesome. The only thing I did different is that I didn't use fresh basil (I used dried) and I didn't use as much cheese as it calls for. I bought as much cheese as it calls for, but holy crap, it's a lot, and I didn't use it all. Oh yeah, and I didn't buy curly-leaf spinach, because I couldn't find it, and my bag was only 9 oz. Okay, here goes.

Serves 6 to 8

Cremini mushrooms are particularly good in this dish, but any fresh mushroom is fine. Smoked mazzarella, Gruyere, or fontina can be substituted for the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan. Also, 3 1/2 cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce can be substituted for the sauce in this recipe. Feel free to substitute 3 cups of your favorite cooked vegetables (roasted, steamed, sauteed, grilled, or broiled) for the mushrooms and spinach.

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10-ounce) bag curly-leaf spinach, washed, stemmed, and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium onion, minced
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, brushed clean, and sliced thin
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8 or 9-ounce package
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 5 1/3 cups)
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the spinach in handfuls and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer the spinach to a colander. Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach; set aside (the cooked spinach should measure about 1 1/2 cups).

2. Wipe the pot clean and add 2 more tablespoons oil; return the pot to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until they have released their moisture and are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to a bowl and set aside (the cooked mushrooms should measure about 1 1/2 cups).

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic; return the pot to medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes; bring to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce into a large measuring cup and add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.

4. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size). Lay 3 of the noodles crosswise over the sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the dish. Spread 1 cup of the prepared vegetables evenly over the noodles, 2/3 cup of the sauce evenly over the vegetables, and 1 1/3 cups of the mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan evenly over the sauce. Repeat this layering of the noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses twice more. For the fourth and final layer, lay the last 3 noodles crosswise over the previous layer and top with the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 1/3 cups mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

5. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake 25 minutes; remove the foil and continue baking until the top turns golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 45 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Freshly ground pepper

For the Shells:
1 12-ounce box jumbo pasta shells
8 ounces silken tofu, mashed
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, zucchini, onion and celery and sauté until soft but not brown, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, oregano, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare the shells: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes; drain. Mix the tofu, spinach, cottage cheese, parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, the egg and garlic in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the dish. Stuff the cheese mixture into the shells and place in the baking dish, open-side up. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Seriodicals strikes again!

1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds*
8 oz. strawberries, quartered
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced lengthwise, seeded, then sliced into crescent shapes
1/4 small red onion, sliced into wedges (you can use less--a little goes a long way)
6 oz. baby spinach

*Either toast the almonds plain in a hot skillet or add about 2 Tbs sugar to the skillet, stirring until liquefied and almonds are browned and sugared. Spread out on a cookie sheet until cooled.

Vinaigrette:

1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp poppy seeds

Combine, whisk and chill until ready to serve salad.

Serves 10.

The Very Best Spinach Salad Ever

From the one and only Seriodicals cookbook!

1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cups salad oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large purple onion, finely sliced
8-10 strips of bacon
1 cup grated white cheese (jack or provolone)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 Tbs poppy seeds (optional)
1 package spinach, rinsed and torn
1 head lettuce, torn

Prepare marinade in blender by combining vinegar, salad oil, sugar, salt, and mustard. Pour over sliced fresh mushrooms and sliced onion. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

Microwave bacon between paper towels until crisp. Crumble into large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and just before serving, add veggies and enough marinade to flavor.

Yields 20 servings, so you may want to half or quarter it.

Mushroom Fettucine Florentine

12 oz fettuccine pasta, uncooked
2 T olive oil
1 lb (about 5 cups) fresh white mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 c onion, diced
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 pkg (9 oz) frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1 c fresh roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 c (8 oz) fontina cheese, diced (I use parmesan)

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions; drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Place pasta in a large serving bowl; cover and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil until hot. Add mushrooms, onion, salt and black pepper; cook until mushrooms are golden, 5-7 minutes. Stir in creamed spinach and tomatoes; cook until tomatoes are heated through, about 3 minutes. Spoon over reserved pasta. Sprinkle with cheese; toss to coat adding reserved pasta water to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

(This recipe is for the mushroom lovers out there!)

Spinach Feta Cheese Pie

This is the original recipe with my additions in parentheses.

1 pound spinach (I used frozen)
4 eggs (I used 6)
3 oz Feta (I used 6)
Pinch of garlic powder (I used a lot more)
Pinch of parsley (I used a lot more)
2 T olive oil

(I also added onions and mushrooms)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Fill a large pot 1/2 way with water and bring to a boil
3. Cook spinach until wilted, drain, let cool and slightly chop
4. Whisk eggs and feta together add garlic powder and parsley, stir in spinach
5. Pour in oiled 1 quart baking dish and drizzle 2 T oil over spinach mixture
6. Bake for 40 minutes (golden and sizzling)
7. Let cool 10 minutes before serving

(Basically it's a quiche. It's good!)

Tortellini Soup

My uncle makes this, and Kiersten requested that I add it here, since I copied the recipe from him. Enjoy!

1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 large (30 oz) can whole tomatoes (I like to use the chopped tomatoes)
1 can great northern beans OR navy beans
1 box frozen chopped spinach
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried tortellini
fresh parsley (I guess I forgot to write the amount down on this--just add to taste)
Parmesan cheese

Saute onion and pepper in olive oil until just tender. Add tomatoes, beans, spinach, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, then add the tortellini and parsley. Cook until tortellini are tender. Serve w/ Parmesan.