"Now, I know why Garfield likes Lasagna so much!'

Tonight, I made Broccoli and 3-cheese lasagna, a recipe from Real Simple magazine's Weeknight meals section. My son, Luke responded with,"Now, I know why Garfield likes Lasagna so much!"

The dish was very easy to assemble and very easily could be put together early in the day and baked later. It was delicious and I am sure will make very yummy leftovers.

Broccoli and Three-Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce container ricotta (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 pound frozen broccoli florets—thawed, patted dry, and chopped
• 2 1/4 cups grated mozzarella (9 ounces)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 16-ounce jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 no-boil lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400º F. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, broccoli, 2 cups of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan,½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a small bowl, combine the marinara sauce and cream.
2. Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Top with 2 noodles, a quarter of the remaining sauce, and a third of the broccoli mixture; repeat twice. Top with the remaining 2 noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan.
3. Cover tightly with an oiled piece of foil and bake until the noodles are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

By Sara Quessenberry, December 2009