Italian-American

Vegetarian Lasagna

Ingredients

Sauce: 1/3 cup olive oil; 4 large garlic cloves, sliced; 1 onion, chopped; salt; 1 carrot, shredded; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; two 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, crushed; 2 bay leaves; 1 basil sprig plus 1/4 cup chopped leaves; 1 thyme sprig.
Assembly: one 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed; 1 pound ricotta; 3/4 cup Parmesan; 1 egg; salt; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 12 no-boil lasagna noodles; 1 pound shredded mozzarella; cooking spray.

Cook garlic in oil over low heat until golden, about 7 minutes. Add onion and salt for 5 minutes, then carrot for 5 minutes.
Add tomato paste and pepper flakes for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, herbs, and salt; simmer until thick, about 30 minutes. Stir in chopped basil and cool.
Heat oven to 350°F. Squeeze spinach dry and mix with ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg, salt, and nutmeg.
Layer sauce, noodles, sauce, one-third ricotta mixture, and mozzarella in a 9-by-13-inch dish. Repeat twice.
Top with final noodles, sauce, remaining mozzarella, and Parmesan. Cover with sprayed foil.
Bake covered 40 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Rest 10 minutes.