Four cheese lasagna with spinach

Ingredients:

Lasagna

• 12 dry lasagna sheets (regular, requiring boiling)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 package (280 g) frozen spinach, thawed
• 450 g of cottage cheese (about 1 and 3/4 cups)
• 100 g fresh goat cheese, softened
• 3/4 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or a mixture of both
• 450 gr. grated mozzarella (about 4 tbsp.)
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 4 cups homemade tomato sauce (see recipe below) or any store-bought tomato sauce

Tomato sauce with basil

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 x 800g cans of whole peeled tomatoes in their own juice (about 7 cups)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2/3 cup tightly packed basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and season generously with salt. Add the lasagna noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic begins to darken. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and stir until the liquid has evaporated and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
3. In a bowl, combine the cottage cheese, goat cheese, Parmesan/Pecorino, 2 cups of mozzarella, lemon zest, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and cooled spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg.
4. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 22 x 32 cm (9 x 13 in) baking dish. Add 3 lasagna noodles, placing them side by side but not overlapping. Top with a quarter of the cheese mixture and about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers 2 more times. Top the lasagna layers with the remaining noodles and top with the remaining cheese mixture.
5. Drizzle with the remaining tomato sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and bubbly, about 40-45 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes and serve.
6. Tomato sauce with basil:
   Yield: about 4 tbsp.
   
   Place the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan and heat until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt. Break the tomatoes into small pieces with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30-40 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, tear the basil leaves into small pieces. Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.