Lasagna Florentine With Sun-dried Tomato Marinara

Total Time: 1 hr 39 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 9 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
• 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, not oil packed
• 1/3 cup dry white
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• salt and pepper
• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 2 cups cream-style cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup asiago cheese, grated, divided
• 3/4 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, defrosted and well drained

Recipe

• 1 for the marinara sauce, heat the olive in oil in a large sauce pan; saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in hot oil for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• 2 stir in the dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, , fennel seeds and dried basil; reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered until slightly reduced; approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
• 3 process in batches in blender until mixture is chopped but not smooth, keep warm while assembling the other ingredients.
• 4 for the lasagna, place the cottage cheese, egg, nutmeg, parsley flakes and salt/pepper to taste in small mixer bowl, mix until curds begin to break down and mixture is combined well; stir in 1/4 cup of the grated asiago cheese.
• 5 to assemble the lasagna, spray a 13x9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, place 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of pan, top with 3 cooked and lightly towel dried lasagna noodles, top with 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 of the sauce, half the mozzarella cheese, half of the spinach and sprinkle generously with a third portion of the grated asiago cheese, repeat layer 1 time.
• 6 end with a layer of noodles topped off with remaining sauce and grated cheese.
• 7 cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375°f for 30 to 45 minutes; let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• 8 this can be assembled ahead and refrigerated until ready to cook; if refrigerated please allow an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the lasagna to cook through.