Bungled lasagna becomes tasty casserole

Twice I started out to experiment with making a Green Lasagna. Twice circumstances intervened and I thought, OK, I can take a hint, it must be that instead of lasagna this recipe is supposed to be something else. That something else turned out to be a spinach, ricotta and pasta casserole, and it tasted very good to us.

I’ve done Green Lasagna lots of times, but by the seat of my pants. I’d cook up spinach and mix it with ricotta, maybe an egg or two, plus some pesto, then put that with mozzarella between layers of cooked lasagna noodles. If sometimes it seemed a little dry, I’d drizzle in cream or make a white sauce to pour over it and sprinkle more mozzarella on the top. It was all pretty experimental and different each time. So I wanted to nail it down a little more precisely for you.

But we have been so busy around here for various reasons that taking time to cook and measure and then do all the layering never seemed to work. One problem is that we grow our own spinach so, you see, I have to pick it over and wash it. I managed one night to get as far as the spinach ricotta mixture, then I foundered on the lack of time to cook the lasagna noodles and make layers. So what I did instead was cook up a bunch of rotini into which I stirred the cheese and spinach mixture, put half it into a baking dish with mozzarella and then the rest with mozzarella on top of it all. Within a half-hour, supper was ready, and it was delicious. The next time I started to make a lasagna, my husband, Jamie, said, “Why bother? That other thing you made was good.” Why bother, indeed.

Now, if you use frozen spinach, this whole process will be very easy for you. If you use bagged, washed spinach you will probably want to wash it again, then steam it and squeeze out the excess liquid. If you use spinach from your garden, well, start early.

Even though the recipe recommends rotini or some other pasta shape, you could make a lasagna with it. For a 9-by-13 baking dish, you’d probably want to double the quantities of filling below and use a whole pound of mozzarella. I had friends who used to drizzle red wine into regular tomato sauce lasagna, so maybe a little white wine would be a good way to jazz up a green one. If you like spicy food, you could add a little minced jalapeno to the filling. Oregano, parsley or tarragon might be good. And remember that you can bring down the calories by using low-fat ricotta and skim milk mozzarella. Add more spinach if you want to. Or less. There’s lots of tinkering potential here – such as using chard instead of spinach.

Spinach, Ricotta and Pasta Casserole

Serves 4-5

1 package frozen chopped spinach or 1 pound bagged fresh spinach

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 or 2 cloves of garlic minced (optional)

1 pint of ricotta cheese

2-3 tablespoons of pesto (optional)

8 ounces of rotini or bow ties

1/2 pound of mozzarella, grated

If using fresh spinach, wash it, spin it to remove excess water, then blanch or steam it. Squeeze the water out of the cooked or frozen spinach and chop it up. Saute chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil until soft. Put ricotta cheese in a medium bowl and stir into it spinach, onions and garlic. Add pesto if you use it, or your choice of herbs or spices. Boil and drain pasta and mix it into seasoned spinach and ricotta. Brush or spray a little oil in a 2-quart baking dish. Put in half of the mixture and sprinkle half the grated mozzarella over it, then add the other half, and top with the rest of the mozzarella. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted on top and it is hot through.