Winter Lasagna

These winter days have me baking more than usual.  And with the cool weather greens growing out in the greenhouse, I'm find all sorts of ways to use them in our meals.  Recently I had a hankering for a homemade lasagna and just for fun, I decided to add a mineral-rich twist straight from the greenhouse.  Now, I'd hate for you to get all excited thinking this is some fancy new lasagna recipe, because it's not.  It's the standard quick & easy oven-baked lasagna we all know, but with that one unique ingredient that seems to be my favorite this winter:  Kale. 

Here's everything I used:

• 1lb sausage, cooked & crumbled      
• 1/2 box lasagna noodles, boiled         
• 2 cup shredded cheese
• 1 cup kale, torn      
• 2 cup pasta sauce       
• 16oz cottage cheese mixed with 1 beaten egg & 1/2t garlic salt   

Kale is such a vitamin & mineral packed power-food, and it's one of my favorite 3-season crops to grow.  It loves cooler temps and tends to take a break during the summer heat wave, but for the rest of the year it thrives in my garden and greenhouse.  Most often it goes in my morning smoothies or a salad, but this time it moonlighted in this luscious lasagna. 

The steps were easy:  spread some pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan and then begin layering the remaining ingredients.  The order I went in was: sauce, noodles, meat, kale, cottage cheese mixture, cheese, noodles.  And repeat...as many times as you want.  I trust you.

I ended with a noodle layer, topped it with the remaining sauce, and sprinkled on a bunch of cheese. 
I baked it for 30 minutes covered, then 20 minutes uncovered.  

You probably noticed by looking at the photos that I'm not much of a spreader.  I tend to randomly glob everything on without doing much to pretty it up, but that's just my impatience coming out.  So, feel free to neatly spread the layers evenly to your heart's content, and I'll keep right on throwing mine together.  To each his own, but my way is easier. 

You can decide for yourself, but my way's better.  Do what you want...just do it my way.  It's a free country, until it comes to lasagna.  Then you have to do what I say.  Or not, but you better.  You'll thank me for it.  I think. 

Either way, this lasagna tastes delicious.  Homemade lasagne usually does, but there's something about the addition of the kale in this one that kicks it up a notch.  The kale wilts down amidst the moisture of the sauce and becomes slightly sweet.  The flavor is subtle but it's there, and that makes this dish special to me...and my taste buds.   They thanked me too, by the way.