By Christine Zerilli

When I think of comfort food, I think of lasagna. The cheesy goodness layered with sauce and noodles, mmmmm You seriously can’t go wrong. In fact, It’s one of my favorite go to’s! Paired with a fresh crisp salad and you’ve got yourself a complete meal. I put a spin on this classic dish and It was a huge hit with the family! I know you are going to love it ! I used Barilla gluten free oven ready lasagna noodles to skip the noodle boiling part and it came out perfect .

Let’s get started!

Here’s the layering process. The chunky marinara sauce will leave pockets of sauce . That is ok. Dolloping the pesto in areas instead of spreading evenly across works in your favor too ! Not only is it easier, but it ensures a burst of flavor here and there, making no two bites the same.

Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

  • 1 box oven ready lasagna noodles (I used Barilla gluten free oven ready noodles)
  • 1 32 oz Ricotta
  • 1 1/2 lbs shredded mozzarella (I used the blocks and shredded it)
  • 1 28 oz can peeled plum tomatoes
  • 8 oz of crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 5 oz of Pesto
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
  • 2 Tablespoons dried basil
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon
  • 1 Teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

Directions:

To make the sauce:

In a medium saucepan saute onions and garlic in about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent . Add the crushed tomatoes, peeled plum tomatoes with the juice, basil, sugar and teaspoon of black pepper . Cook over low heat for about 40 minutes mostly covered with lid. Stir occasionally. Halfway through cooking, break up the tomatoes with a potato masher so that the sauce becomes chunky . Be careful the sauce doesn’t splash .

While the sauce is cooking , prep the ricotta . Yes. I season my ricotta . It adds extra flavor to the lasagna . Don’t skip this part….or I will know. Lol j/k… hehe

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, grated Romano cheese, the tablespoon black pepper, garlic powder, parsley and salt. Set aside.

To assemble lasagna:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 11×9 pan with nonstick cooking spray and add about a cup of marinara to the bottom of the pan spreading it out as best as you can, remember it may not cover every inch and that’s ok. I promise. Add 6 sheets of lasagna noodles to the bottom of the pan overlapping slightly. I even went as far as adding touches of sauce between the over lapped parts to ensure the noodles would cook and not become a solid mass. Would that have happened if I didn’t do that ? who knows but I took the neurotic path and it all worked out . So who’s to say… ok I got sidetracked lol . Let’s continue. Spread about a cup of sauce over the noodles and don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the noodles completely. Next add spoonfulls / dollops of pesto over the sauce. Spread about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the pesto. Do this gently. It may resist but I know you can show the ricotta who’s boss! Top with 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers , ending with 4 sheets of noodles on top . Add the remaining sauce and mozzarella and sprinkle with some grated cheese on top to finish it off! Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes . remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. remove from oven and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes before diving in !

This may not be picture perfect, however this is real and I enjoyed every bit of my second slice as much as I did my first.. (see what I did there ? subliminal messages.. take the second piece….. lol Enjoy !