Artichoke Lasagna

Despite the fact that I'm predisposed to LOVE anything with artichokes and cheese, this was a mighty tasty dish that Rob really liked as well. This recipe goes in our keeper file. I used chipotle pepper flakes instead of red pepper flakes, and the slightly smokey, hot flavor was divine with the mozzarella and artichoke.

26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
~14 oz. jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
15 oz container ricotta cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, or 2 tsp dried, crumbled
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp garlic powder
6-8 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 c. shredded mozzarella for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375.
In a large bowl, stir together the spaghetti sauce, artichokes, and red bell peppers.
In another bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, spinach, mozzarella, and all the spices.
To assemble, spread a scant layer of the spaghetti sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Make a layer of noodles on top. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with half the remaining spaghetti sauce mixture. Repeat with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce mixture.
Lightly cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove tinfoil, bake another 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. When about 5 minutes remain, top with the cup of shredded mozzarella. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Today

Keys torn off the laptop:
My sunglasses wrapped around a chewed-up pear:
A banana punctured full of holes using... ? I'm a little afraid to find what it was.
My purse, industriously loaded full of chex, cheerios, and craisins.
The chairs, all pushed up against bare and boring walls with no interesting objects nearby that an aspiring and clever climber and gymnast can reach:


Responsible party:


Alternate names for this post:
1. Why I've quit trying to find time to blog
2. Reasons to think twice about having children
3. Toddler mentality
4. Explain that object, please
5. Why I don't really mind that we don't have any furniture, and what we do have is old and crappy
6. An explanation of my decorating scheme, or why there are no chairs at my table or bar
7. STOP THE MADNESS
8. A two-fold explanation of why my house is a mess: TJ lives here, and if I take my eye off him for one moment to try to get something done, I end up with twice the mess I started with