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Arugula Matzo Lasagna

Arugula matzo lasagna for Passover.
[additional-authors]
March 24, 2015

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, 3 minced and 3 sliced thinly
  • 1 medium-size carrot, peeled and minced
  • 1 to 2 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme (optional but nice)
  • 1⁄4 cup red wine of choice (optional)
  • 1 (23- to 28-ounce) container tomato puree
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 bunches arugula, washed thoroughly, stemmed, and spun dry (about 8 cups), or equal amounts of spinach
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add up to 1 teaspoon if you like heat)
  • 1⁄4 cup unsalted walnuts
  • 1⁄2 cup 2% or full-fat cottage cheese
  • 1⁄8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 8 unsalted matzos (less than 1 box)
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 10 to 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded

tools: 12-inch skillet or wok, food processor, 9 by 13-inch baking dish

Make the marinara sauce: In a medium-size saucepan, heat 2 table- spoons of the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion, the minced garlic, and the carrot, cooking until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the herbs and wine, if using; cook until the wine is reduced by half. Stir occasionally to minimize sticking.

Add the tomato puree and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, so the sauce can simmer over low heat. Cover the pot and cook for about 30 minutes; remove the herb sprigs and add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Meanwhile, make the arugula filling: Divide the arugula in half and place in two bowls. At first, it will seem like an excessive amount of greens, but it will all be put to use. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add half of the arugula, and the 3 cloves of garlic sliced thinly. With tongs, turn the arugula to coat it with the oil; it will wilt (and shrink) rather quickly. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Transfer the cooked arugula mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining uncooked arugula, red pepper flakes, and walnuts to the food processor, in batches if necessary. Whiz until the mixture becomes an emerald green puree. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and whiz for another minute or so. Add the 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and whiz for a few seconds. Taste, adjust the salt as needed, and add black pepper as you see fit.

Remove the blade from the food processor and measure out 1 cup of the puree. Transfer to a medium-size mixing bowl. (You will have about

3⁄4 cup of leftover puree; store in the fridge in an airtight container and use within 2 days as a sandwich spread, over rice, or devoured with an egg. It’s a wonderful cook’s treat.)

Rinse out and wipe dry the bowl of the food processor and place the cot- tage cheese in the bowl. Process until completely blended and smooth; it will look like sour cream. Transfer to the bowl with the arugula puree and stir together until completely integrated. Stir in the nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Before assembly, it’s a good idea to check how the matzos fit inside a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. (Two matzos should easily fit, side by side.) Grease the dish, then wet each matzo under a slow trickle of warm water to moisten. Stack the damp matzos and cover with a damp paper towel.

Spoon enough marinara sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish to cover its surface. Place a layer of matzos side by side, so that they’re snug, on top of the sauce. With a rubber spatula, spread half of the arugula filling on top of the matzo, covering the surface, and add one-fourth of the mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

Create a new layer of matzo, and this time, spoon in enough marinara sauce to cover the surface, followed by another one-fourth addition of each cheese. 

For the third matzo layer, spread the remaining arugula filling on top, followed by another one- fourth addition of each cheese.

For the top layer, place the remaining two matzos, followed by the remaining marinara sauce, spread evenly. Top the whole thing off with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake the lasagna until fork tender and bubby, about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and allow the cheese to brown for 10 minutes be- fore removing the baking pan from the oven. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Source: The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations by Kim O’Donnel.  Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2012. 

www.kimodonnel.com

Twitter.com/kimodonnel

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