Red, white and green lasagna is a holiday tradition in my family. My parents always made a massive lasagna on December 24 and it’s a tradition I’ve maintained with my children. There are a few reasons why we make this classic comfort meal part of our holidays:
• The colour scheme is a great shout-out to seasonal décor.
• We make a huge batch, which means there are leftovers for lunch the next day.
• This recipe is packed with invisible veggies, which provide a nice balance to the cookies and treats that dominate this time of year.
It’s a great family activity on a day that is usually a bit boring. If your kids are anything like mine, they tend to be grumpy with anticipation and overstimulation. Cooking a big meal together is a nice way to connect and relax.
Here’s how your kids can help:
• The youngest helpers can layer lasagna noodles and sprinkle on cheese.
• Little kids can help with grating cauliflower and cheese and squeezing the water from the spinach.
• Older kids can help make tomato sauce and cook the filling.
Red, White & Green Lasagna (Prep Time: 30 min, Bake Time: 60 min)
Here is our favourite holiday lasagna. The prep is a bit time-consuming if you do it on your own, so get everyone to work on it together! You can also save time by using jars of pasta sauce (you need 4 cups), frozen cauliflower florets (about 6 cups) and pre-grated packages of cheese. If you want to make a meat and vegetable lasagna, add cooked ground beef to the middle layer of tomato sauce.
Ingredients
1 package of oven-ready lasagna noodles
11⁄2 cups grated mozzarella
1⁄2 cup Parmesan cheese
White Cauliflower Layer
1 medium-sized head of cauliflower
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup of ricotta cheese
1⁄2 tsp salt
1 egg
Red Tomato Sauce Layer
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning or mixed basil and oregano
1⁄2 tsp salt and pepper, to taste
Green Spinach Layer
10-ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed
21⁄2 cups of grated mozzarella
2 cups of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1⁄2 tsp salt
Cooking
The White Layer
Coarsely grate the cauliflower, including the core of the head. This can be done with a typical box grater, but it’s faster with a mandolin. Finely dice the garlic.
Heat a frying pan on medium. Add the olive oil, grated cauliflower and garlic. Sauté until the cauliflower is soft, about 5–6 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the layers.
When the cauliflower has cooled, mix in the ricotta cheese. Add salt to taste. Then stir in the egg.
The Red Tomato Sauce Layer
Dice the onion and garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until soft.
Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer with the lid on while you prepare the rest of the lasagna. Add the salt and pepper, taste and adjust the salt as needed.
The Green Layer
Squeeze the thawed spinach to remove all the excess liquid. Combine the spinach with the mozzarella, ricotta, egg, and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
Assembly
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 inch lasagna pan.
To assemble the lasagna, place a 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of noodles. Don’t overlap the noodles, or they won’t cook properly. Add 1 cup of tomato sauce in a thin layer, top with the cauliflower filling.
Lay out a second layer of noodles on top of the cauliflower filling. Cover the noodles with 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with the green spinach layer.
Place a third layer of noodles on top of the spinach. Pour over the remaining tomato sauce. Make sure all the noodles are fully covered. Sprinkle on 11⁄2 cups of mozzarella and 1⁄2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the tinfoil, then bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is browning and the sauce is bubbling.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
