Monday, March 23, 2009

Tomato Basil Lasagna

When you can get fresh colorful basil and tomatoes you can't pass a dish like this up! It's a little lighter than traditional hearty meat lasagna, but equally delicious. Make sure to use a high quality tomato sauce that you really enjoy!























Ingredients

1 small box 8" lasagna noodles
5 Roma tomatoes, sliced thick
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch basil, chopped
12 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar vodka sauce
1 ball fresh mozzarella
Italian seasoning, cracked pepper and salt


















Directions

Grease an 8x8 inch pyrex pan with olive oil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together ricotta, eggs, garlic and spices until fluffy. Soak the tomato slices in balsamic.

Pour a small amount of the sauce into the pan and cover the entire bottom of the dish. Add lasagna noodles- about 4- on top of the sauce and then add another layer on top going in the opposite direction. Spoon all of the ricotta mix onto the noodles and spread with a spatula. Layer the basil on top of the ricotta followed by a layer of sliced tomatoes and a layer of mozzarella. Spoon another light layer of sauce on top. Next, add another layer of noodles in the same pattern as the first layer. Top this with more tomatoes and then pour the remaining sauce on top. Finish off with another layer of cheese and a sprinkling of seasonings.

Bake for at least 45 minutes and serve.




















I found that Trader Joe's makes neat little 8" 'no boil' noodles that don't have crinkles on them. These layer really nicely in lasagna and cook nicely without breaking. I would serve this with a little green salad. Leftovers are nice with some extra vodka sauce spooned over them.

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