Lasagna and Spinach & Artichoke Dip

So I had the crazy idea of making my own ravioli for about three days.. then decided it was going to take way too much effort and chose lasagna instead. That works for me because lasagna is my favorite comfort food. For as long as I can remember, I would always get it for my birthday.

I don't have any mind-blowing secrets for my lasagna. I buy the ingredients that are listed on the box :) I did want to make a spinach lasagna, since Judah and I have been much better about eating more vegetables. However, as soon as I was putting on the last bits of cheese, I looked over and the spinach was still sitting in its bowl... I never mixed it in with the ricotta :( But that led to a great spinach and artichoke dip the following night :D

Oven Ready Lasagna
     1 box oven-ready lasagna
     1 jar Spaghetti sauce
     large container ricotta cheese (25-30 oz)
     1 tsp italian seasoning (or plain basil)
     2 cups mozzarella cheese
     1/2 cup parmesan cheese
     2 eggs
     1 cup water

Mix the spaghetti sauce with one cup of water. (Our lasagna was very moist, you could probably cut it down to 1/2 cup and be fine). In a second bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, the italian seasoning and 2 eggs. Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Cover with four lasagna noodles. The noodles may touch width-wise, but center them lengthwise. They will expand during cooking. Next, pour half the cheese mixture followed by 1 cup of sauce. Top with four more lasagna shells, the rest of the cheese mixture and 1 cup of sauce. Top with four more lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce. Finish off with the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Double wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Let sit for ten minutes before serving.

Since I had all that leftover spinach, I decided to make a spinach and artichoke dip for dinner Thursday and Friday night. I adapted this recipe and this one.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip
     1 jar artichoke hearts
     10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
     2 cups italian blend cheese
     1/2 cup sour cream
     2 tbsp heavy cream
     salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the artichoke hearts in a food processor. Combine all the ingredients. Place in a greased pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, or bread.

I think next time I won't add the heavy cream, since this dip turned out to be a little "wet". I also think it could have used a little more cheese, as there was a lot of spinach and artichoke hearts in this recipe. But it was very good and it actually tasted better the following day when we reheated it. My favorite part about making this homemade dip was it wasn't dripping in grease and oil. I told Judah how I felt like I could eat the whole pan because it didn't feel heavy in your stomach!

Enjoy ;)