Meatless Monday with Spinach and Black Bean Lasagna

Welcome to another Meatless Monday recipe share here on our blog. Miratel took the Meatless Monday pledge to reduce meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve planetary health. We consider our support part of our  CSR business strategies as it spreads awareness of the impact of our food choices on the environment.

To make it easier, we feature a new vegetarian or vegan recipe each Monday to help with meal planning and prove that going meat-free is just as (or more) satisfying. Today the recipe we are sharing is for a spinach and black bean lasagna. This is a hearty and rich vegetarian dish that even the most avowed meat eater will enjoy. This recipe comes courtesy of My Recipes. Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, divided
• 2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (2-pound, 13-ounce) jar pasta sauce (or homemade)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 9 precooked lasagna noodles
• Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Stir together first 5 ingredients and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; set aside.
2. Mash beans with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl; stir in pasta sauce and cumin. Spread one-third of bean mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
3. Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture, and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; repeat layers. Spread with one-third bean mixture; top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining bean mixture.
4. Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour; uncover and top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired.

This a bit of a decadent treat that is perfect for a cold winter night when you need a little extra to warm up. It’s also good for entertaining guests for both casual and more formal gatherings. Like with most lasagna recipes, this reheats well and will work wonderfully for lunches if you have leftovers. Serve with a lightly dressed Italian or balsamic vinaigrette salad.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.