My sister has been in town all this week. She lives on the complete other side of the country from us, so it’s always a real treat when her family makes it back to Indiana to cavort with us Midwesterners.
I’m not sure if this is true for every family, or just ours, but whenever we all get together, our events always center around food. I know people like to spew the line that food is just fuel and it shouldn’t be emotional, but I call bologna on that. Food is inherently emotional. It is so much more than just calories to keep your body going.
And if you don’t believe me, you should pop by one of our big family dinners where the wine is always flowing and the food is always impeccable. I am very lucky to be in a large family of incredible cooks who really value good food. So when we get together, we eat. And we eat goooood.
Lasagna is one of those dishes that I never would whip together on a random Tuesday evening when it’s just our little family of three (no matter how awesome lasagna leftovers are). Lasagna is meant for special occasions. Even though lasagna isn’t really that difficult to make, it just feels like it needs to be shared with family and friends, doesn’t it?
If you ever invite me over to a dinner party (Please! I’d love to hang out with you!), you can make me über happy with a cheesy lasagna, a big bowl of salad, and a bottle (or three) of bottom shelf wine. Oh, and breadsticks. Because I heart hot bread.
I am not even a little bit Italian, so I won’t pretend to know what makes a lasagna authentic or not, but I will tell you that I’ve never met a lasagna I didn’t like. I think that’s the beauty of a lasagna. When you put together good, simple ingredients, you get amazing results.
Sure, you can get fancy if you like, but you really don’t need to. Some good sauce, some good cheese, and some good pasta, and you’re well on your way to the perfect lasagna.
Take this Lasagna Rosa for example, it’s meatless (which is good for my family, because we span the range from vegetarian to meat lover). It doesn’t have a lot of added “flair” in the form of mushrooms or veggies or herbs (also good, because we have some veggie-adverse kiddos, too). It’s got really good cheese. It’s got noodles. And it’s got a creamy, dreamy rosa sauce made by combining Bertolli Tomato & Basil sauce with Bertolli Alfredo sauce. It’s simple, but oh, so perfect.
This is such an interesting twist on a traditional lasagna. It’s like if you took my Penne Rosa and made it into a lasagna. It’s still got the traditional tomato flavor, but the added creaminess from the alfredo sauce makes it feel so hearty and cozy. Perfect for the rainy, cold, dreary Fall weather we’ve been having lately (which showed up just in time to welcome my sister back).
If you have your own family dinner party on the schedule, I think this Lasagna Rosa would be the perfect option to satisfy everyone (well, almost everyone). Enjoy!
Lasagna Rosa
This meatless Lasagna Rosa has a creamy tomato sauce that really sets it apart from your usual lasagna.
Ingredients
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 4 cups marinara sauce {recommended: Bertolli Tomato & Basil}
- 2 cups Alfredo sauce {recommended: Bertolli Alfredo}
- 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 cup of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the marinara and Alfredo sauces and stir until smooth.
- To assemble lasagna, spread 1 cup sauce mixture in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Layer 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, then 1 cup sauce mixture and 1/2 of the ricotta mixture; repeat. Top with remaining 4 noodles, then sauce mixture and remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 765Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 183mgSodium: 1686mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 37g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
This post is sponsored by Bertolli and Lunchbox. To learn more about Bertolli, visit their website or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. All content and opinions are my own.
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