Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

I have been a little crock pot obsessed this week. I made this lasagna recipe from cooking light that has been my favorite for years. It is a little complicated but so worth it if you have the time. Both the photo and recipe are from Cooking Light. You can click through to their site from the title of this blog post.



No-boil lasagna noodles are perfect for this recipe, as they absorb all the juices that accumulate in the crockpot. Use 2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach in place of fresh, if you prefer. Also, any mushroom will work.

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients

* 4 cups torn spinach
* 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
* 1/2 cup commercial pesto
* 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded provolone cheese
* 1 (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
* 1 (25.5-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce
* 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
* Cooking spray
* 1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles (12 noodles)

Preparation

Arrange the spinach in a vegetable steamer; steam, covered, 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain, squeeze dry, and coarsely chop. Combine spinach, mushrooms, and pesto in a medium bowl, stirring to combine; set aside.

Combine mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, and beaten egg in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan, and set aside. Combine the pasta sauce and the tomato sauce in a medium bowl.

Spread 1 cup pasta sauce mixture in the bottom of a 6-quart oval electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over pasta sauce mixture; top with 1 cup cheese mixture and 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with spinach mixture. Arrange 3 noodles over spinach mixture; top with remaining 1 cup cheese mixture and 1 cup pasta sauce mixture. Place remaining 3 noodles over sauce mixture; spread remaining sauce mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover with lid; cook on LOW 5 hours or until done.
Nutritional Information

Calories: 398 (41% from fat)
Fat: 18.2g (sat 7.8g,mono 6.6g,poly 2.3g)
Protein: 22.2g
Carbohydrate: 38.5g
Fiber: 2g
Cholesterol: 56mg
Iron: 2.8mg
Sodium: 1036mg
Calcium: 407mg

Smitten Kitchen's Yummy Brisket

Since this is my last week of freedom before returning to the grind that will be my life for the next year, I've been celebrating by cooking really decadent meals at home. This brisket turned out so good we ate it for 3 solid days without one complaint about leftovers. Alec and I made this southwestern pulled brisket in the crock pot and it cooked while we slept. I wanted to cook it the whole 10 hours because our grocery store didn't have a 3 lb brisket. The smallest they had was 5lb! I cooked it for 10 hours and kept it on keep warm another hour. I modified the slaw recipe to just be cabbage, cilantro, and red wine vinegar since we don't like raw onions or mayo around here. We served ours on warmed up corn tortillas with a half a grapefruit from the valley on the side and it was a delicious brunch! Not to mention how wonderful the house smelled.

Find the original recipe and more lovely photos here:

(image borrowed from Smitten Kitchen blog)