Brown Rice Lasagna with Spinach and Tofu
By Yankee Magazine|Apr 28 2007|
Tomato sauce, spinach, and tofu team up with brown-rice lasagna noodles, which are whole grain and free of gluten. Serves 6.
Ingredients
4 pounds cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
10 ounces brown-rice lasagna noodles
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed between paper towels about 1 minute, and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces nonfat small-curd cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Make the sauce: Put tomatoes, 3 tablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Let cool.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain; rinse. Lay pasta on a clean kitchen towel; loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain; squeeze out any excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in parsley. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, pulse pine nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Add tofu, cottage cheese, and pepper; puree.
Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Cover bottom with a layer of pasta. Top with 1 1/4 cups sauce, 1 1/4 cups spinach mixture, and 3/4 cup tofu mixture, spreading each layer evenly. Repeat. Top with a layer of pasta; spread with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until heated through and Parmesan turns golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.
