Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Bob Greene's No-Cheese Vegetable Lasagna

Bob Greene's No-Cheese Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup store-bought marinara sauce, such as Barilla
  • 4 ounces uncooked, whole wheat lasagna noodles
  • 2 cups spinach, washed thoroughly
  • 2 cups fresh tomatoes, sliced and chopped or canned, no-salt-added diced tomatoes

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-inch square or a 10x8" pan with cooking spray.

Step

Combine the almonds, walnuts, onion, garlic, basil, nutmeg, salt, pepper and water in a food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute.

Step

Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover with half of the uncooked noodles, spinach, tomatoes and nut mixture. Repeat the layers again and transfer to oven. Bake for 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

*For baked rotini, use 4 ounces fiber-enriched or high-fiber rotini, such as Barilla Plus or Barilla Whole Grain (four ounces is about 1 heaping cup dry). Cook pasta according to the package directions. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the marinara sauce. Cover the bottom of the pan with 1/2 cup marinara sauce, top with the pasta mixture and finish with the remaining 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Bake for 40 minutes, until lightly browned.