Aka your next Sunday night dinner with the fam.
When me and Joey first met I always mentioned how on Sunday nights everyone was supposed to be at home, eating spaghetti with their family. We usually were at his parents house anyway and Adele would be making us dinner which basically tied into my theory.
I can be super old-fashioned sometimes, it’s rooted in my soul.
To this day (5 years later) we constantly half-joke that it’s spaghetti night on Sundays. This fantasized tradition doesn’t always happen for me, actually it rarely happens being that life is super hectic 110% of the time. Which is just more of a reason why on Sunday everyone should take a step back and enjoy a hearty family meal.
Once I have kids, there’s no doubt about it that family dinners at home will be the norm.
This was one of the first times I made lasagna. I know, what rock have I been living under?! I have always felt Italian food should be left up to the greats. The food I ate throughout Italy will never top the duck Bolognese or creamy gnocchi I attempt to make at home.
My mind and my hunger are always up for the challenge though. You should never underestimate yourself.
So you would think my first real attempt at lasagna would be safe and traditional. Wrong. My mind doesn’t work like that, especially when it comes to food. The creative side of me always overpowers the logical side. In some cases, like this lasagna, this is a great attribute
The lasagna noodles are layered between a creamy Cabernet infused mascarpone marinara sauce. While my heart will always be with classic ricotta cheese, I wanted to jazz things up this time. Give you something to ponder for your next lasagna craving.
It works. I’ve said it before and I will take it the grave that mascarpone and marinara were meant to be together. It’s like the italian version of peanut butter and chocolate.
Best part about this recipe is that three cheeses are involved: mascarpone, aged cheddar via Cabot Creamery and classic mozzarella. Plus extra parmesan for sprinkling. So technically four cheeses? And then the richness of the Cabernet really brings out a whole new world of Italian flavors.
This recipe is basically where my love for cheese, wine and Italy get combined into one. It’s truley a beautiful thing.
Creamy Cabernet 3-Cheese Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp each: oregano + thyme
- 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used 1 orange and 1 yellow)
- 3–4 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 cups marinara sauce of choice
- 1/4 cup cabernet
- 9 cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles (or no-bake lasagna noodles)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese (I used Cabot Tomato Basil Aged Cheddar)
- Sprinkle of parmesan
- Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and set aside.
- Sauté garlic, spices and bell peppers with olive oil over medium high heat until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add in spinach and cook until barely wilted, turn off heat and set aside.
- Whisk together mascarpone cheese, marinara and cabernet in a large bowl until fully combined.
- Spread a little of this sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Layer on 3 lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup of the mascarpone sauce, 1/2 of the veggies and a 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses.
- Layer on three lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup mascarpone sauce, the rest of the veggies and 1/4 cup of each cheese. Top with remaining three lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup of the mascarpone sauce and the rest of the cheese. You may have a little sauce left over, that’s okay!
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and baking for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melty. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
If you have extra sauce leftover, use it as a dip for bread or as a spread for crostinis, pizza or even in a sandwich. Goes well with lots of things!