Melt in Your Mouth Lasagna

I love lasagna-it is one of my favorite comfort foods! For this version, I switched out ricotta for cottage cheese to make it nice and creamy. With the extra water content, be sure to bake just a smidge longer unless you want lasagna soup 😉

Ingredients – Pasta

• 4C flour
• 4 eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ C water
• 1 tbs olive oil

Ingredients – Lasagna 

• 1 bag spinach
• ½ white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ c white wine
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 4 C homemade sauce
• 8 oz cottage cheese
• ½ C parm cheese, grated
• 16 oz mozzarella
• 2 tbs italian seasoning
• 1 egg
• Red pepper flakes

Directions – Pasta

1. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl and create a well in the middle
2. Crack eggs into the well w/ water and oil. Using a fork, incorporate your eggs into the flour adding a little each time. When flour is fully mixed in, transfer to the mixer to help knead or do it by hand (pro tip: begin by using the mixer and finish off kneading by hand to get the consistency right)
   1. If the flour is too crumbly, add more water. If too sticky, add more flour
3. After the dough is desired consistency, form it into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Let it rest for 20 mins
4. After 20 mins, unwrap the dough and cut it into 4 pieces using a dough cutter. Work on the dough in pieces, keeping the unworked dough covered with a damp paper towel
5. Roll out each piece, about ¼” thick. When the dough is rolled out, run through a pasta cutter on the stand mixer
   1. Dough should be see-through
6. When noodles are cut, lay flat and sprinkle with flour to dry out
7. When all noodles are dry, add to boiling water and cook until al dente*
   1. *I find it easier to work in shifts, boiling a ¼ of the dough at a time while I am rolling out and cutting another ¼ piece.
8. When noodles are cooked, run under cold water to cool and set aside until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna

Directions – Lasagna

1. Preheat oven to 425℉, and rim a 9×13 casserole dish with olive oil. Sprinkle with tomato sauce
2. While your pasta is finishing up, being sauteeing the minced garlic and onions in olive oil of med heat.
3. Once garlic begins to brown, add white wine, red pepper flakes and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted completely
4. While spinach is cooking, mix your cottage cheese with the egg, parm and italian seasoning. Set aside
5. In a separate bowl, set aside 4-5 C of tomato sauce
6. When spinach is finished cooking, begin layering your casserole dish with your pasta. Top with cottage cheese, spinach and tomato sauce. Continue layering 3x and top with sliced mozzarella and remaining sauce. 
7. Bake for 30 mins covered, 15 mins uncovered or until cheese is brown and bubbling
8. Serve immediately