Spinach and Cheese Lasagna, Panko-Crusted Pork Chops, and Spinach with Nutmeg Butter

Being that it is a week day, I did leftovers for lunch. However, since I made it before I started this, I figure I would go ahead and snap a picture and write about it. Being that it's been microwaved, it looks weird and compressed and not much like it did hot out of the oven, but whatever, you can get the drift. It did look fuller and nicer the day I made it. Anyway, it's a spinach and cheese lasagna. It's super yummy! It was the first vegetarian lasagna my husband had ever had, and I think he was a little nervous about it, but once he ate it, he said he really liked it! He always offers up that a dish is something I can make again if he particularly likes it, so I take it this was a big hit with him, since he mentioned that! Our son didn't have a very good morning, and decided to take his nap an hour before lunch time. Since he woke up really early and was super fussy all morning, I went ahead and obliged him, so he ate after he woke up, and ate all of his piece! I wish I had taken a picture of it before. I'm a bit disappointed about it's appearance when microwaved. I have to note, I'm still working on making prettier presentations and working with different garnishes. I don't think it looks terrible, but I still am aiming for developing better plate designs. Oh, I only made half of the recipe, in a 9x9 baking dish, since we don't have a large enough family to warrant a regulation sized lasagna. I'll post the quantities for a whole 9x13 lasagna. The only difference is that for the lasagna I made, I only used half of the amount of all the ingredients. Also, for the cup of whatever three cheeses, you can use what you want. I used equal amounts Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack, and freshly grated Parmesan, because it's what I had. You can use a pre-shredded three cheese blend or Italian blend, whatever works for you. I prefer to grate my own blocks of cheese because it's cheaper, you get a finer grate which melts easier, and the cheese doesn't dry out like pre-shredded cheeses do.

Here is how I made it;

I popped it in the microwave for 60 seconds.

:) Okay, sorry, I had to. Here is how I made it last week;

This takes about 45 minutes to prep and cook

2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella, divided
1 cup grated any three cheeses
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 jar pasta sauce of your choosing, or an equal amount of homemade sauce
9 to 12 whole wheat lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and cook noodles according to package directions and let cool enough to handle.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the three cheese mixture, egg, spinach, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and oregano. In another bowl, combine the remaining cheeses and set aside.

In a 13x9 inch baking pan, layer one cup of the pasta sauce, followed by a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese and spinach mixture, and repeat. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with the extra mozzarella and three cheese blend.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly on top. If you want to brown the cheese (which I do), then after the 5 minutes, switch to the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on it, though. It can burn very quickly.

Let cool for 15 minutes before serving (This way it won't be a runny mess when you cut into it, nor will it be so hat as to render you tasteless for a week!)

If you want to make it with no-boil noodles (I can never find them in whole wheat, and if I'm making lunch, I don't have the time to let it bake that no boil noodles require.), simply replace the cooked noodles for the no-boil and assemble as normal, except once you have fully built the lasagna, pour 1 cup of water around the edges of the pan, cover and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

For dinner, we had panko-crusted pork chops and sauteed spinach with a nutmeg butter. It was very good! Husband requested that I make it again sometime, which always makes me happy, and the baby ate very well, until I handed him his milk. I forget to hold off giving him a drink until he's done eating sometimes, it always makes him stop eating to drink. Gah!



This is my recipe for the pork chops;
This takes about 20 minutes to prep and cook

1/3 cup whole wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (about two handfuls pre-chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 center-cut bone-in pork chops
cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a plate. Combine mustard and water in a bowl to desired consistency (I wanted a thick paste, so I only used 1 tablespoon and made sure to scrape off excess to have enough to cover all the chops, if you want it thinner, use more water.). Combine bread crumbs, parsley, and thyme on another plate. Create an assembly line, with the flour first, followed by mustard and bread crumbs.

Season both sides of pork with salt and pepper, and dredge chops in flour, shaking off excess. Coat well in mustard, then in bread crumbs, making sure the chops are completely covered. Set aside for a minute while you pre-heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add oil. Add the pork chops and cook for 5-8 minutes per side, depending on thickness, adjusting heat to prevent the herbs and panko from burning.

Remove the chops from the heat and let rest 5 minutes before serving so they remain nice and juicy. If you want, grate some Parmesan over top and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

This makes 4 servings.

If you want to make my spinach, do this;
This takes about 10 minutes to prep and cook

4 bunches spinach (roughly 2 pounds), thick stems removed
butter flavored cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and completely dry spinach. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray, and add spinach. In my dutch oven, I had to wilt one bunch slightly before I could fit all of the second bunch in. It looks like a ton of spinach, but remember, it wilts away to nothing. Toss spinach frequently until wilted down. Depending on how much you want it to cook down, it will take 3 to 5 minutes (I didn't want my leaves too small, so I cooked mine for three).

Remove spinach from the pot and drain in a colander. In the same pot, spray some butter flavored cooking spray, and add the butter. Once the foam subsides, stir in nutmeg and salt and pepper. Add the spinach back in and toss until the nutmeg butter is well distributed.

Grate some Parmesan over top, if desired. If you're making this with the panko-crusted pork chops and have extra breadcrumbs, toast in a dry pan until slightly golden and top the spinach with the bread crumbs.

This meal was super yummy! I hope you enjoy it!

This recipe serves 4