Tasty Lasagne recipe

Pasta is traditionally the staple food of Italy but is equally popular the world over. The word pasta means ‘dough’ or ‘paste’ and is traditionally made from hard wheat.

Good pasta is made from hard durum wheat. The starch is extracted and produces fine, gritty particles or semolina flour. When this flour is mixed with water it forms strong, resilient pasta which can be dried easily and has a very long shelf-life.

 Pasta should be cooked until it is firm to bite, not soft or mushy. Adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the cooking water will prevent pasta from sticking together when it is drained, and makes it more palatable.

Pasta is very high in carbohydrates and low in fat and contains some protein, calcium, potassium and phosphorous. Pasta made with enriched flour has thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and iron. Whole-wheat pasta, egg and colored pasta are slightly more nutritious than regular pasta.

For this recipe, lasagna will be used. Lasagna is the broadest of the ribbon pastas and comes as whole-wheat and plain, or with egg or spinach. 

Here is the tasty and easy to make one-dish meal for six to eight servings. 

Ingredients

·         350 g lasagna noodles, preferably whole-wheat

·         125 ml (½ tsp.) salt

·         125 ml (½ cup) chopped walnuts

·         250 g (1 cup) fresh spinach

·         750 ml (3 cups) tomato sauce

·         Freshly ground black pepper to taste

·         250 g (1 cup) chunky cottage cheese

·         60 ml (¼ cup) grated Parmesan cheese

·         12 thin slices mozzarella or any Swiss cheese

Preparation

1. Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until tender but still somewhat firm – remember the teaspoon oil! Drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 180⁰c (356⁰F)

3. Toast nuts on a baking tray in the oven – stir a few times – for 10 minutes or until roasted

4. Wash and dry spinach and chop into bite-size pieces

5. Spread 190 ml (¾ cup) of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 20 x 20 cm oven-proof casserole dish. Place one-third of the noodles on top and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with one-third of the spinach, one-quarter of the nuts, one-quarter of the cottage cheese, 12.5 ml (1 tbsp.) Parmesan cheese and a layer of mozzarella slices. Repeat these layers twice, and then spread the remaining sauce, nuts and cheeses on top.

6. Bake for 40 minutes and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

6-8 Servings

Serve with a fresh mixed salad and ciabatta bread.

Enjoy,

Engela