Ok…I have made a LOT of lasagnas in my lifetime (check out recipes for Mixed Veggie Lasagna and Green Veggie Lasagna with Spinach Pesto) but this Spinach Ricotta Lasagna with Fennel might just be my new favorite.

Here’s what makes it so great:

It’s ooey, gooey and cheesy without being over-the-top
It packs a ton of veggies in a super kid-friendly way
It holds up to the spatula (aka, it doesn’t ooze all over the place when you cut it)
It’s uniquely seasoned with fennel — for you meat eaters, it will probably remind you of sausage! My husband very loudly declared there’s no chance you’d miss the meat in this recipe (and that’s saying something)

As mentioned, I’ve experimented with lasagna recipes a lot. How do you maintain the dish’s structural integrity? How do you incorporate veggies without making the whole thing too watery? How do you sneak in extra protein without making it too heavy? And how do you make it special — basically, how can you make it stand out from the throngs of simple cheese-and-sauce lasagnas?

Here’s my secret: sauté spinach, wait for it to cool, then blend it with ricotta for an easy cheesy green filling. The problem I’ve run into with adding spinach to lasagna is it ends up being too “juicy.” Spinach contains a ton of water, so if you add it raw to the lasagna, it’s just going to end up a soupy mess.

But the real secret to the filling is this: add eggs! Eggs help set the filling, but they’re obscured by all the other flavors in the lasagna so you can’t even taste them. Trust me — this isn’t a quiche.

What are your favorite lasagna hacks? Drop me a comment!

INGREDIENTS

“No boil” lasagna noodles (we used gluten-free + protein-packed Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles)
1 - 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 - 10 oz. bag fresh spinach
1 c. carrots
15 oz. light ricotta cheese
3 eggs
Olive oil and/or cooking spray
Black pepper, to taste
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 T. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1.5 t. ground fennel
4 oz. mozzarella cheese
Parmesan or other hard cheese, to top

STEPS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add the carrots to a food processor.
Heat a large pan or wok over high heat. Spray thoroughly with cooking spray or add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the spinach, tearing it into pieces as you add it to the pan. Season with a bit of pepper. Sauté until the spinach is wilted yet still bright green. When done, add to the food processor. Set the pan aside.
Once the spinach is cooled, add the ricotta and 3 eggs to the food processor. Blend until smooth.
Grab the original pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and green bell pepper. Sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the nutritional yeast, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika and ground fennel. Cook for 3-5 more minutes until the onions start to brown (but not burned). Set aside.
Pour a bit of sauce into a 9 in. X 13 in. dish. Use a spatula to smooth the sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Place 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Poor half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Add half of the onion & pepper mixture. Add 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Pour on more sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Repeat with the rest of the ricotta mixture, onions/peppers, 1/3 mozzarella and a bit more sauce. Finish with the remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Top with a bit of Parmesan or other hard cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Finish in the broiler until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for roughly 5 minutes, then serve.