I know that love is life’s best work.
-- From "Yes!" by William Matthews (collected in Search Party (2005))Mom's food "speciality" has become this lasagna, which she makes for family gatherings. I think gluten-free pasta is generally hideous (sorry, it's my heritage), but we discovered that the Tinkyáda Brown Rice Pasta Lasagne are actually good, as opposed to just palatable, so now Mom can make one batch of lasagna that we all can eat. And this lasagna is healthy and relatively easy to put together, so we can have it fairly often, instead of just on special occasions.
Outside of the kitchen, Mom's specialty, and her life's best work, is love. Love for her family, love for the kids she helps in her job. During the school year, Mom pours her time and energy into the kids she works with. It's not easy sometimes, but when I see Mom interacting at school functions with some of the kids, who clearly adore her even years after they've graduated, I understand completely. Even with that, she still always has something left for giving whatever is needed to our family, often at her own expense.
Summer is usually Mom's time to recharge, but this year she went on two physically and emotionally draining trips to help Auntie Leener and Uncle Clint and Dylan get to their new homes. It was hard seeing people she loves so much move far away, but she did it enthusiastically, and with a smile on her face, as always. I don't express my gratitude for what a great wife and mother (and sister, daughter, etc.) Mom is often enough, but she is definitely loved in return for all the love she dispenses on a daily basis.
Lasagna with Spinach and Cottage Cheese
Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman in the New York Times
Mom's time from start to finish: 1:09
The picture above is a double recipe, which you can make in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
1½ cups (12 ounces) low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese
1 (24-ounce) jar good tomato sauce, preferably not too chunky; or 2½ cups of good homemade sauce
10 to 12 ounces baby spinach
salt
freshly ground black pepper
~½ pound lasagna noodles, regular (not no-boil); or homemade; or Tinkyáda Brown Rice Pasta Lasagne for gluten free (you need at least 12 good noodles)
½ cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons bread crumbs (you can use gluten-free bread crumbs if you can find them, or you can skip the bread crumbs if you can’t)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and process until smooth. Add ½ cup of the tomato sauce, and process again until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Don’t wash out the food processor.
3. Wash the spinach, but don’t dry it. Place the spinach in a large skillet over medium- to medium-high heat, and cook until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a colander, rinse briefly, and squeeze out the excess water. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer the spinach to the food processor and pulse to chop fine, but don’t puree. Stir the chopped spinach into the cottage cheese mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. When the water comes to a boil, add 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt and stir to dissolve. Add the lasagna noodles and cook just until the pasta is flexible, about 4 to 5 minutes for regular lasagna noodles. For brown rice lasagne, boil for 1 minute, then take off the heat, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. Carefully remove the pasta from the water, trying not to tear it (tongs work well here), and place on a clean dish towel.
5. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. If three noodles don't quite fit along the bottom, you can trim one noodle lengthwise with a sharp knife to help them fit better. Top with a third of the cottage cheese/spinach mixture, using a spatula to spread it evenly over the noodles. Top with ½ cup of the tomato sauce, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.
6. Repeat these layers two more times, using up the cottage cheese/spinach mixture, but saving tomato sauce and Parmesan for the top layer. Cover the top layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle on the bread crumbs, then drizzle the olive oil over the top.
7. Cover tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. If you want to brown the top and get some crunchy parts, remove the foil, and bake until the top begins to brown a bit, about 5 minutes more.
8. Remove from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
To make ahead: Assemble the lasagna through step 6, then cover with foil and refrigerate for up to a day, or freeze for up to a month, before baking. Increase the baking time as needed for a cold or frozen lasagna.
1 (24-ounce) jar good tomato sauce, preferably not too chunky; or 2½ cups of good homemade sauce
10 to 12 ounces baby spinach
salt
freshly ground black pepper
~½ pound lasagna noodles, regular (not no-boil); or homemade; or Tinkyáda Brown Rice Pasta Lasagne for gluten free (you need at least 12 good noodles)
½ cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons bread crumbs (you can use gluten-free bread crumbs if you can find them, or you can skip the bread crumbs if you can’t)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and process until smooth. Add ½ cup of the tomato sauce, and process again until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Don’t wash out the food processor.
3. Wash the spinach, but don’t dry it. Place the spinach in a large skillet over medium- to medium-high heat, and cook until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a colander, rinse briefly, and squeeze out the excess water. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer the spinach to the food processor and pulse to chop fine, but don’t puree. Stir the chopped spinach into the cottage cheese mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. When the water comes to a boil, add 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt and stir to dissolve. Add the lasagna noodles and cook just until the pasta is flexible, about 4 to 5 minutes for regular lasagna noodles. For brown rice lasagne, boil for 1 minute, then take off the heat, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. Carefully remove the pasta from the water, trying not to tear it (tongs work well here), and place on a clean dish towel.
5. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. If three noodles don't quite fit along the bottom, you can trim one noodle lengthwise with a sharp knife to help them fit better. Top with a third of the cottage cheese/spinach mixture, using a spatula to spread it evenly over the noodles. Top with ½ cup of the tomato sauce, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.
6. Repeat these layers two more times, using up the cottage cheese/spinach mixture, but saving tomato sauce and Parmesan for the top layer. Cover the top layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle on the bread crumbs, then drizzle the olive oil over the top.
7. Cover tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. If you want to brown the top and get some crunchy parts, remove the foil, and bake until the top begins to brown a bit, about 5 minutes more.
8. Remove from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
To make ahead: Assemble the lasagna through step 6, then cover with foil and refrigerate for up to a day, or freeze for up to a month, before baking. Increase the baking time as needed for a cold or frozen lasagna.
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