Spinach Lasagna with Walnut Pesto

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. Put the ricotta or cottage cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the wilted spinach, pesto, garlic, salt, pepper, half the parmesan, and the walnuts. Mix well. Spread half the tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of uncooked noodles over the sauce.
3.  Spoon about ⅓ of the cheese filling in dabs over the noodles and sprinkle with ⅓ of the grated mozzarella. Follow with another layer of sauce, then noodles, followed by another ⅓ of the filling, and another ⅓ of the mozzarella. Repeat one more time, and then finish up with a final layer of noodles. You will have some parmesan left over. If you are using fresh noodles, bake uncovered. If you are using dried noodles, cover the pan tightly with foil.
4. Bake for 50 minutes, uncovering the pan (if applicable) during the last 15 minutes, during which time you can sprinkle on the reserved parmesan. (In the case of the uncovered pan, if the top of the lasagna becomes as brown as you like it before the full baking time is up, cover loosely with foil and continue baking, so it won’t get too dark.) Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.