Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 1 medium summer squash, finely chopped
• 8 asparagus spears, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 pound fresh plain lasagna sheets
• 2 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups canned white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, halved
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Simple Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Ease of Preparation: Easy