Busy days turn into busier weeknight dinners. That’s why make-ahead meals like this Spinach & Kale Lasagna are life savers when you have a crowd to feed, and not much time. Vegetable-packed, this flavorful vegetarian lasagna will become a staple in your freezer all year long!
Lasagna is one of those comfort foods that almost everyone knows and loves. My mom’s recipe is likely different than everyone else’s mom’s recipe, but that’s what made each of them so great. As the calendar shows months ahead with increasingly cooler weather in the cards (I hope!), dishes like lasagna are never far from my mind.
However, what NEEDS to be far from my mind are the versions of this classic that put on winter weight before winter even gets here. Now, I have no illusions that this version is actually “healthy”, but I feel better knowing I’ve substituted green veggies for meat. That’s a step in the right direction, isn’t it?
As I’ve gotten older (the first step to accepting it is admitting it–YES, I’m getting older), I’ve tried getting healthier items into our meals. It’s hard to do when I grew up in a place like the Midwest where casseroles, jello molds, and meat & potato meals were the norm. But I’m trying. Really, I am!
In this case, “trying” means finding ways to not only eat more veggies, but actually enjoy them. And what better way to do that than 1) adding garlic, and 2) putting cheese on the veggies? (see, not completely healthy, but one step at a time)
The very best part of this delicious Spinach & Kale Lasagna though is that I made it over a weekend. Then after only 2 portions eaten, it went into the freezer. As the days of the week ticked by and I felt myself falling back on non-healthy options, I stopped myself. Then I remembered to pull out a container with single-servings of this flavor & veggie-packed lasagna for a quick weeknight meal.
Yay me for planning ahead for once! And yay for getting my greens with this Make-Ahead Spinach & Kale Lasagna!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 servings | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 40 minutes |
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Darn if those mid-week meal needs don't sneak up on you! With a little prep, and some creative use of healthy greens, this Make-Ahead Spinach & Kale Lasagna can mean that dinner is ready in no time. Yay for freezer meals, and yay for healthier options!
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- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups kale, finely chopped
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup low-fat mozzarella, shredded
- 1 box no-cook lasagna noodles
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. Saute green onions for 2 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minutes, or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add chopped kale, and stir until it wilts & reduces, about 6 minutes. Place cooked ingredients into food processor. Allow mixture to begin to cool.
- In same skillet, heat other tsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add spinach leaves, and stir until it wilts & reduces. Add to food processor and pulse to incorporate all cooked ingredients. Allow to cool.
- In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, egg, salt & pepper, Parmesan, & mixture of greens.
- Mix thoroughly to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. Starting with 1/2 cup of cheese & greens mixture, spread layer on bottom of dish. Top with layer of no-cook noodles. Repeat layers until all of the cheese & greens mixture is used up.
- Top lasagna with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until top begins to bubble and brown on edges.
- Serve immediately. With any leftovers, cut lasagna into single-serving slices, and freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, defrost in refrigerator overnight, and then reheat at 70% heat for 2-4 minutes, or until heated through.
While I love having time to spend in the kitchen, making big meals with multiple courses, that rarely happens. First of all, with only 2 of us in the house, who needs that much food at one sitting? Second of all, even I don't have time to do that--and we don't even have kids' schedules to contend with! If you're able to spend an hour prepping this Sunday-dinner-worthy meal, then you have time to make extra for those nights when making a big meal is out of the question.
And an extra bonus: you can toss in other veggies to get those recommended servings in with one dish! Add shredded carrots, zucchini, or other greens like chard or broccoli rabe. Once those veggies are cooked and mixed with garlic, it will be tougher for vegetable-averse family members to turn up their noses. Not saying they won't, but it will be tougher for them to do.
What other ways would you make a vegetable-filled lasagna tasty for your family?
Wow, this looks and sounds so good! Sharing this recipe with my son who doesn’t eat meat.
This looks wonderful! I totally hear you about getting more veggies into my diet – I started to actually like them about 10 or so years ago and definitely don’t regret it!
Love veggie lasagna and this one with kale looks very tasty =)
wow, this looks fantastic! I haven’t made with spinach before, but why not?! It sounds fantastic!