What's cooking: Really easy vegetarian lasagne

One afternoon at my NASTC ski seminar a few weeks ago lunchtime talk turned to ski house recipes, the object being dishes that were simple, hearty, and tasty. My instructor Leigh shared the basics for this one, which uses a combination of store-bought and homemade ingredients. Here is my version of the concept, but the possibilities for modification are endless.

INGREDIENTS

prepackaged fresh ravioli
fresh spinach
cheese, shredded or crumbled
marinara sauce, bottled or homemade (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

Boil fresh ravioli for about two to three minutes, less that what is recommended on the package. I used an artichoke, cheese, olive ravioli.

Make the marinara sauce. I use Cook's Illustrated recipe. In a nutshell and simplified to eliminate the fresh tomatoes during the season when none can be had, saute chopped onion in olive oil, adding garlic when onions are softened and lightly browned. Add a teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil, stirring for a minute or until fragrant.

Drain canned whole tomatoes in a colander over a bowl to separate the tomatoes from the juice.


Add the tomatoes to the onion and garlic mixture and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated from the tomatoes.


Add the reserved juice and about half a cup of red wine. Simmer until thickened slightly. Run through a blender and then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grate or crumble cheese. I used mozzarella, parmesan, and some chevre I had left over.


Saute spinach in a little olive oil to cook it down to a more manageable quantity.

Layer ingredients as follows:

marinara sauce
ravioli
spinach
cheese

Repeat layering, ending with cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees covered with foil for half an hour. Bake uncovered for 15 mintues or until lightly browned on top.


A simple green salad rounded out this meal.



Wasn't that easy? And of course it could be made easier by using store-bought bottled marinara sauce. That Leigh is pretty clever, isn't she? She's also made this recipe with a white sauce, which I think would be nice with some cheese stirred into it. And you could also substitute other seasonal vegtables for the spinach during other times of the year.

Bon appetit!