With the nine days* upon us, we’re all looking for a quick fix dairy dinner that doesn’t require oven time. At least here in Brooklyn, where the weather has been stifling hot and humid. A nice big salad would make for the perfect meal, but I’ve got kids to feed, and salad is just not gonna cut it. My kids adore lasagna, but all that prep and cooking time is too much on these long summer days. My solution? a one-pot pasta dinner with all the lasagna components. The best part is, you can customize it to include all your favorite lasagna fillings. I knew I did well when I served this up and my daughter’s first words were “this tastes like Bubby’s lasagna!” Use store-bought marinara to save on prep time, or prepare your own original recipe.
What recipes are you serving up during the Nine Days? On my menu this week:
Monday: baked ziti and greek salad
Tuesday: crispy beer battered fish tacos from The Shiksa
Wednesday: light eggplant parmesan (no breading)
Thursday: quesadillas with assorted fillings
For more great Nine Days menu ideas, check out last years post.
*The Nine Days is a mourning period over the destruction of the Holy Temple. During this time, observant Jews abstain from eating meat and drinking wine as well as other joyous activities.
1 box linguini pasta, cooked al dente (see package instructions)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups chopped spinach (if frozen, thaw and squeeze out water)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 jar marinara sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp sugar, optional
1 8oz. container cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Method:
Heat up oil in a skillet and add garlic. Saute until fragrant, but not browned. Add spinach and saute for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add marinara sauce, basil, oregano and sugar and bring to a boil. With tongs, toss the linguini into the sauce and stir in cottage cheese and mozzarella. Serve immediately.
Variation: For a fun twist on traditional lasagna, break a few lasagna sheets into pieces. Cook until al dente. Use in place of linguini and mix with remaining ingredients.
1 year ago: spinach stuffed mushrooms
Are those green cylinders your spinach? Never seen that before! I love pasta dishes like this!
yes! I was too lazy to wait for them to thaw so I just put them in the pot like that. I don’t recommend doing that, it imparted a hint of bitterness to the dish.
Yum!
We did fish tacos last night-was lots of fun
Love this idea! And who says you have to be a kid to get linguini lasagna for dinner? :)
looks delicious! and Im especially liking the one pot, quick and easy part… will try it out for dinner tonight!
Great idea! GOodness knows I can use all the dairy ideas I can get this week…
Wow! This is stunning. And what a healthy recipe. My kids are going to love this.
Love pasta dishes and this is such a clever way to incorporate lasagna into a meal without having to go through all the prep! Love how adaptable it is too!
wow — such an easy and unfussy way to get that great lasagna taste.
Beautiful picture! This sounds and looks delicious!
I am a sucker for pasta dishes, and this looks awesome.
Yum, I love lasagna, this one pot solution is a great time saver!
This looks really delicious-will have to try this sometime soon!
i love pasta dishes with lots of fixings! this is definitely something i’d like to try.
I tried this recipe last week – with spinach, zucchini and mushrooms. It was AMAZING – thanks for all of your delicious and wonderful recipes.
thanks for sharing, I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
With my own sauce, I do this, too! The only differences are that my Hubby likes a finer noodle like spaghettini, or even vermicelli (I think I did it once with 1/4 egg noodles, I thought these were great and they don’t have to be wound like long pasta shapes), and I do not use spinach, but use lots of bell pepper, both red and green. Also, in cooler weather, I often put it in a pyrex bowl, puts lots of Parmesan and Romano on tip and bake it in the oven.
I love the idea of baking this with parmesan, thanks!
Just ate this for dinner. And we all gobbled it up even my pickiest eater BH