Broccoli and Three-Cheese Lasagna

This is a delicious vegetarian lasagna, and I didn't miss the meat once while eating it. Quite possibly because there was so much cheese. :) Actually, I think the broccoli made an excellent substitute for ground beef.

The recipe says it serves 4, but I can't imagine eating 1/4 of this in one sitting. I cut it into 9 pieces and ate it for lunch (and some dinners) for a week. Next time I'll probably make it 6 portions, if for no other reason than I don't want to eat it 9 times in a week.

From Real Simple December 2009


Ingredients:
-1 15-oz container ricotta (1 3/4 c)
-1 lb. frozen broccoli florets-thawed, patted dry, and chopped*
-2 1/4 cups grated mozzarella (9 oz)
-1/2 c grated Parmesan (2 oz)
-Kosher salt and black pepper
-1 16-oz jar marinara sauce
-1/2 c heavy cream
-8 no-boil lasagna noodles
-2 T olive oil
-4 c mixed greens
-1 T fresh lemon juice

-Heat the oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, broccoli, 2 c of the mozzarella, 1/4 c of the parmesan, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper. In a small bowl, combine the marinara sauce and cream.
-Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of an 8-in square baking dish. Top with 2 noodles, a quarter of the remaining sauce, and a third of the broccoli mixture; repeat twice. Top with remaining 2 noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
-Cover tightly with an oiled piece of aluminum foil and bake until the noodles are tender, 35-40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
-Remove from oven. Let set while you toss the greens with 2 T olive oil, 1T lemon juice, and 1/4 t each salt and pepper..
-Enjoy.

I may or may not have stopped paying attention halfway through the assembly instructions for the lasagna and added an extra layer. So mine had the cheesy broccoli mixture on top, topped with even more cheese, but no sauce. And it was still awesome.
I want to call this no-fail lasagna.

Oh, and it's a good idea to maybe line your oven with aluminum foil for this. Or place some under the baking dish you use--mine spilled over the sides a bit.

*Really make sure to get the broccoi all drained and well-dried. Any excess water will mess with the consistency of the lasagna and make it runny and slightly gross, which may or may not traumatize you when you cut into it the first time.