The New Lasagna

Happy holidays, everyone! I wish you all a spectacular 2011. Who's ready for a new year? I know I am!

With the new year comes thoughts of old practices, old habits, old ways, and consideration about what's working for us and what isn't. Well, this recipe is just in time for you! We are going to take lasagna and power it up, give it some oomph, and pack it with superfoods. And it will be most delicious! (Just ask my 9 year old.)

Let me start off by saying that this recipe was inspired by one I found in Terry Walter's book "Clean Food". This is absolutely one of my most favorite cook books on the planet! Her recipes are easy, healthy, and crazy-good. When I first read through this one, I was skeptical. I wondered how tasty kale could really be in a lasagna, and the tofu almost stopped me cold, because, well, tofu and I are just casual acquaintances...we don't have a strong relationship. After this recipe, I can tell you that my esteem for this food has deepened, and I can picture us having many happy days. Tofu is classified as a superfood, and on its own is pretty bland, but it is like a sponge; it soaks up whatever deliciousness you expose it to. So if you're looking for a hearty, satisfying meal to power you through the winter and keep you well, look no further!

The New Lasagna

Ingredients:
7 sun-dried tomatoes
12 lasagna noodles
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 12-18 ounce packages firm tofu
2 Tablespoons mirin
1 ounce package fresh basil, finely chopped
1 handful fresh italian parsley, finely chopped
2 bunches of kale, finely chopped
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Mezzetta's Napa Valley Bistro Arrabbiata, 25 ounces each)
2 cups grated mozzarella (you can use soy or rice cheese if you like)
salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes, if you like

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl of water until they are soft, then drain, chop, and set aside. Chop the kale and set aside. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Make the Filling
In a BIG pot, drizzle the olive oil, heat to medium, and add onions and garlic. Cook until soft. If you like spicy, add a little cayenne or red pepper flakes here. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 more minutes. Drain the tofu, wrap in towels, and squeeze like a sponge to remove excess water. (There will be a LOT of water. But this is an important step. If you skip it, your lasagna will be soupy.) Once the tofu is pretty well dry, crumble into the pot. Add mirin, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and parsley and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the kale, and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put it together
Crack open one of the spaghetti sauce jars and pour a little bit (1/3 of the jar) on the bottom of a 9X12-inch pan. Use 4 noodles to form the bottom layer over the sauce. Cover with half of the kale mixture. Pour the rest of your first jar of sauce over this. Sprinkle with 2 handfuls of cheese. Top that with another noodle layer, the rest of the kale mixture, 2/3 of the second jar of sauce, and two more handfuls of cheese. Layer the rest of the noodles on top with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve it up, hot and delicious! And you don't even need to make a salad with it, if you don't want to, because your greens are already in there!

Serves 8
(Although my husband, daughter and I polished off half of the pan in one sitting...)