Serves 6 / Gluten-free / Pan-searing the unpeeled garlic gives it a mellow, roasted flavor. Save time by washing the spinach while the garlic cooks.
6 brown-rice lasagna noodles (5 ounces)
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 large bunch spinach (12 ounces), stems removed
1 (8-ounce) box frozen artichokes
1¼ cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup part-skim ricotta
8 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (soak in hot water until soft, if necessary)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 400˚. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions, barely al dente. Rinse with cold water; then lay noodles on a wet baking sheet to keep soft while continuing recipe.
2. Place unpeeled garlic cloves in a dry, medium saucepan. Turn heat to medium-high. Cook garlic until bottom of each clove turns dark brown, about 4 minutes. Turn cloves and cook until other sides are brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Using the same pan, turn heat to medium-low. Add spinach and any water clinging to it. Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach with tongs and spread on a plate to cool. Discard any liquid from pan.
4. Place artichokes and broth in pan. Bring to a boil; then cover and simmer over low heat for 6–8 minutes, until very tender. Remove from heat.
5. While artichokes cook, squeeze water from cooled spinach; then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Add ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, nutmeg, and salt. Pulse again. Add egg white, and pulse again. Remove mixture to a small bowl; rinse processor bowl. Peel garlic; then add to processor along with artichokes and broth. Process until smooth. Add salt to taste, if desired.
6. Spray an 8×8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Trim noodles to fit dish, reserving all noodle pieces. Spread a small amount of artichoke sauce on bottom of dish. Top with three longer lasagna noodles, half the ricotta mixture, 1/3 cup mozzarella, and 1/3 of remaining artichoke sauce. Cover with the short noodle pieces, followed by remaining ricotta mixture, 1/3 cup mozzarella, and half remaining artichoke sauce. Top with remaining three noodles, remaining artichoke sauce, and mozzarella. Bake on lower-middle oven rack for 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with optional parsley, and serve.
PER SERVING: 231 cal, 7g fat (1g mono, 1g poly, 4g sat), 23mg chol, 13g protein, 30g carb, 4g fiber, 423mg sodium
