Red and Green-Spinach Lasagna

Prepare the lasagna a day ahead and bake just before serving.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (28-ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes,
undrained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Lasagna:
2½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 egg
9 no-cook lasagna noodles
1 pound part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
1. To prepare sauce, heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, but not brown.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and black pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. To prepare lasagna, combine ricotta cheese, spinach and egg in a large bowl; mix well.
5. Coat the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with a third of the tomato sauce. Cover sauce with 3 noodles without overlapping (break noodles to fit), half the ricotta mixture and half the mozzarella slices. Add half the remaining sauce, 3 noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and remaining mozzarella. Top with remaining 3 noodles, remaining sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. To make ahead of time, cover with foil and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
6. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand about 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serves 12.
Recipe by Carolyn Bertagnoli, “A Red & Green Christmas,” December 2009.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 450 calories, 20g fat, 65mg chol., 26g prot., 43g carbs., 4g fiber, 810mg sodium.