Spring Greens Lasagna

Fresh, flavorful food made fast at home is the new American dream. Like any dream, the first step is believing it’s possible.

Spring Greens Lasagna

Yield: One deep, 9-inch-by-13-inch pan

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
12 cups loosely-packed and chopped fresh greens (about
1 large bunch of kale or a mix of greens such as Swiss chard, spinach, escarole, mustard greens, baby bok choy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt, cracked black pepper, to taste

Cheese Mixture:
2 pounds whole milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra for the top
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs
1/3 cup chopped basil or parsley leaves

1 pound fresh pasta sheets, or cooked lasagna noodles
1 quart of your favorite tomato sauce
3/4 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 F. Remove the stems from tougher greens and coarsely chop, wash and dry all. Heat a large, shallow skillet over medium-high and, working in batches, add the olive oil, garlic, greens, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are wilted and tender (this will vary with variety). Remove from the heat, cool and squeeze any remaining liquid from the greens (this step can be done up to two days in advance and refrigerated).

2. Combine the ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, black pepper, eggs and basil in a large bowl and blend well. Assemble the lasagna by covering the bottom of the baking dish with a small amount of tomato sauce. Arrange lasagna sheets to cover the bottom completely and spread half of the cheese mixture over the pasta. Scatter with half of the cooked greens and dot with small dollops of tomato sauce. Add mozzarella to lightly cover and repeat the layering process one more time, beginning and ending with the pasta sheets. Cover the top layer of pasta completely with sauce, sprinkle generously with extra Parmesan cheese, and add the remaining mozzarella.

3, Place on a baking sheet and cook for 45 to 55 minutes or until bubbly, brown and set in the center (cover loosely with greased tinfoil if overbrowning). Remove from the oven and allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before serving with additional sauce, if desired.

Note: This recipe can be assembled as is or in smaller dishes for individual portions. It also can be prepared ahead and refrigerated uncooked for up to three days, or frozen raw and baked from the freezer (cover frozen lasagna with foil for the first 20 minutes and allow 10 to 15 minutes additional cooking time).