MIXED GREENS LASAGNA

Mixed Greens Lasagna

We’re just about a week into 2015, and we have to ask: How are those resolutions holding up? We’ve tried our best to help, giving you recipes for healthy, delicious green smoothies and salads, but sometimes you just need pasta. Luckily, we’ve amped up the nutritional value of one of our favorites: lasagna. Our version is waistline-friendlier thanks to the addition of a few types of greens (kale, spinach and arugula). The finished product will knock your socks off without popping any buttons. A win-win, we say.

INGREDIENTS:

03 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided.

01 small sweet onion, diced.

04 garlic cloves, minced.

08 cups mixed greens (4 cups torn kale, 2 cups spinach, 2 cups arugula).

One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese.

½ cup milk.

01 tablespoon chopped parsley.

01 tablespoon chopped thyme.

01 tablespoon chopped rosemary.

1½ teaspoons red-pepper flakes.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

01 package no-boil lasagna noodles.

½ cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese.

DIRECTIONS:

01: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large casserole dish with nonstick spray.

02: PREPARE THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add the greens in batches, allowing it to cook down before adding more. Cook until all the greens have wilted, 6 to 7 minutes.

03: In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta with the milk, parsley, thyme, rosemary and red-pepper flakes to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

04: BUILD THE LASAGNA: Begin laying noodles in the base of the prepared casserole dish. Top with a quarter of the ricotta mixture and gently spread it evenly. Drizzle the surface with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a quarter of the spinach mixture. Repeat with another two sets of layers. Finish with a layer of noodles, ricotta and a final drizzle of oil. Top with the mozzarella cheese.

05: Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is bubbly and the mozzarella is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and set 15 to 20 minutes before serving.