Vegetarian Lasagna with Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

Pesto Sauce:

3 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups loosely packed basil

1/3 to 1/2 cup parmesan or Romano cheese

*Put garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil in a blender or food processor and puree. Add basil and parmesan and blend. *Can be stored in freezer.

1 package lasagna noodles

1 pound ricotta cheese

2 mozzarella balls, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1-2 big bunches of raw fresh spinach, washed and dried

about 1/2 cup of pesto, to taste

your favorite marinara sauce or meat sauce if you are a die-hard carnivore

Method:

Make the Pesto Sauce.

Half cook the lasagna noodles until they are flexible but still stiff in the middle.

Mix ricotta, parmesan, pesto and garlic together in a bowl.

Put just enough sauce in a 9 x 13 casserole dish to cover the bottom.

Set aside enough mozzarella to cover the top.

Lay down a layer of noodles over the sauce, a layer ricotta mixture, a layer of spinach leaves, a drizzle of sauce , and a sprinkle of mozzarella.

Continue to layer noodles, ricotta mixture, spinach and cheese util you've got a full pan with a layer of noodles on top.

Cover with sauce and mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.