Week 64, Recipe 2: Spicy Kale Lasagna

NOTES

• Recipe modified from Annie's Eats
• I recently said on Facebook that I'd never made anything with kale that I would make again in a hurry. But this lasagna recipe is a keeper. I like that it's meat free but you could add some cooked sausage in with the kale layer if desired.
• Make the night before and leave in fridge until ready to bake. Or make and freeze, then put it in your oven frozen and set your timer before you leave. Make 2 pans while you're at it so you have one for later!
• My kids ate this, kale and all, with no complaints and enjoyed it! It's not too spicy for kids. In fact, I increased the red pepper to 1 1/2 tsp to give the sauce a little more flavor.
• I'm not sure this would be as good with store-bought sauce. It doesn't take much to make this sauce and it's really good! Make it ahead of time if you want for a quicker prep later.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb kale, spines removed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, (preferably with basil or herbs
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• Chopped fresh basil (a small handful will do), optional
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 4 c. cottage cheese (ricotta would also work well or you could use a mixture of both)
• ¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¾ tsp. pepper, or more to taste
• 16 noodles cooked al-dente and rinsed with cool water

DIRECTIONS
1.To prepare the kale, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the kale to the pot and boil for 2 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Give the kale a spin in the salad spinner (if you do not have a spinner, wrap the kale inside a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much excess liquid as possible)
2. Chop the kale, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. To make the tomato sauce, combine the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon of salt in a cold saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently. Let cook for 30 seconds once bubbling then mix in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, reduce heat and let simmer 15-20 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste and fresh basil, if using.
4. To make the cheese mixture, strain all of the liquid out of the cottage cheese (use a fine mesh strainer and stir cottage cheese in strainer to let the liquid run out). Mix in ½ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
5. Preheat the oven to 375. To assemble the lasagna, spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom. Cover with a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese mixture, half of the kale, and half of the remaining sauce. Add another layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining kale. Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned.  Let stand at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving to let extra liquid absorb.