Arugula Pesto Lasagna

Cheese + carbs + pesto = deliciousness.

Earlier this week, Z and I had a bag of arugula that desperately needed to be eaten. I wasn't in the mood for a salad for dinner, so I decided to make some pesto - and then slather said pesto between sheets of pasta. Let's just say it ended up being a very good idea.

Arugula Pesto Lasagna
Yields: 8 servings
Adapted from TLC Cooking
-1 package (16 oz.) partially cooked lasagna noodles
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1/2 onion, diced
-1 tbsp. minced garlic
-1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-12 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
-White cooking wine
-Crushed red pepper flakes
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-3 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
-1 cup prepared arugula pesto (I omitted the cayenne and used walnuts in place of the pine nuts)
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch lasagna pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2.) Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onions until transparent. Add garlic and spinach; cook and stir about three minutes more. Add mushrooms, crushed pepper flakes and cooking wine; cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.
3.) Add ricotta cheese, pesto, and Parmesan cheese to spinach mixture; mix well.
4.) Layer 5 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping, in prepared pan. Top with one third of ricotta mixture and one third of mozzarella. Repeat layers twice.
5.) Bake about 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This was, by far, one of the best lasagnas I've ever made (not to toot my own horn or anything). The garlic-y, peppery pesto complemented the rich cheeses and sweet onions perfectly. We also have a ton of leftovers - I plan to freeze a few slices so we can have them for dinner or lunches in a few weeks. 

What are some of your favorite meals to make that yield a lot of leftovers?

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