Friday, March 5, 2010

17. Spinach-Black Bean Lasagna


From 2002 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I love lasagna...and I love Mexican food...so this recipe was screaming my name. And, it was so delicious. Don't worry about the absence of meat...this dish is plenty hearty, with the black beans, to satisfy any appetite.

When I saw how much liquid was in the dish, I decided to use no-boil noodles, and they worked perfectly.

I think you could easily cut the amount of cheese in half (1 cup for ricotta filling, and 1 cup for topping) and not lose any flavor. I skipped the cilantro, for personal preference, and I added mushrooms to the pasta sauce.

If you're a lasagna fan, looking for a little twist, this one's a "must-cook!"

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (2-pound, 13-ounce) jar pasta sauce
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
9 pre-cooked lasagna noodles

Stir together first five ingredients and 1 cup of cheese. Set aside

Mash beans with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl. Stir in pasta sauce and cumin. Spread 1/3 of mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers. Spread with 1/3 sauce mixture, top with remaining 3 noodles, and remaining sauce mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover and top with remaining cheese. Bake 5 more minutes.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking, which is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

8 comments:

Margot said...

I like the combination of all these ingredients. I'm not a big fan of black beans but the rest of my family is so I will probably give this one a try.

I've been gone nearly the entire month of February so I had to go back and catch up on your posts. I must say you have been eating very well at your house.

Heather said...

this sounds yummy. Have printed the recipe and sent the link to my vegetarian niece.

JoAnn said...

I love both lasagna and Mexican food/black beans. I'll be trying this one for sure!

Anonymous said...

What a great twist on classic lasagna. Thanks for the great recipe!

Amused said...

This sounds like a delicious combination and it looks pretty easy! Thanks for the recipe!

caite said...

I agree with the mushroom, but I would add the cilantro too. I need to copy this down right now...

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

Oh this looks fantastic! I am making this!

Beth F said...

OMG!!!! I must make this. I love black beans, I love lasagna, and I'm very happy with vegetarian. Thanks!