eclaire (what’s in a) name?

guess what? any guesses? no? well i’ll give you a minute or two to think up some guesses while you look at these photos….

was that enough time, dear readers? did you guess that my food blog turned one year old this week? if you did, then you’re correct! i honestly can’t believe that it’s been a whole year since i wrote a post introducing the new focus of this blog and included a recipe for couscous/tabouli salad. many, many recipes later i am enjoying sharing recipes with all of you more than ever! thanks for reading along!

to celebrate this momentous occasion, i baked you one of my favorite dishes: lasagna. although i love lasagna – there are so many variations, and so many delicious layers – i rarely make it because of how long it takes to make. but on this special occasion i took the time to boil noodles, slice veggies, layer the ingredients, and then bake it all for a good three quarters of an hour…and i have to say, it was worth it!

i based this summer lasagna loosely off of one that mike’s mom makes, but didn’t stick very close to the recipe. instead, i just had fun placing as many veggies, pesto, spinach, and ricotta as possible in between the whole wheat noodles to make this summer lasagna. i encourage you to do the same – take the recipe below and have fun with the contents of the lasagna instead of following the list to a t.

although i save dishes that need to bake a long time for the weekends (if i make them at all), and complain quite a bit as i anxiously await the result, i have to admit that i enjoy using the baking time to throw together a salad, clean up the dishes, and anticipate how good it will taste. so now there’s no excuses – try this lasagna, make an awesome salad, and enjoy a delicious dinner this weekend!

summer lasagna

yields 9 servings

• 24 lasagna noodles
• 2T olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 1/2lb of spinach
• 2 medium zucchinis
• 2 medium yellow squash (or more zucchini, or mayan squash)
• 2c ricotta cheese
• 1c parmesan cheese
• 1c pesto (either homemade or prepared)
• 15oz tomato sauce
• 2T pine nuts
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1. preheat oven to 350°
2. boil lasagna noodles until al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water
3. heat olive oil in medium pan, then add onion and saute for 5 minutes, until translucent
4. add spinach and allow to saute 3-5 minutes longer, until spinach starts to wilt
5. pour a thin layer of tomato sauce in a 9×13″ pan, then layer 4 noodles over (this will not allow noodles to stick to the bottom of the pan)
6. spread 1/2 of spinach and onions over noodles, then sprinkle 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of parmesan, and top with 4 more noodles
7. place zucchini over this layer, cover with 1/2 of pesto and 1/2 of ricotta, and layer 4 more noodles over the top
8. repeat steps 6 and 7
9. pour last third of tomato sauce over top and sprinkle with last of parmesan cheese and the pine nuts
10. bake for 45 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and edges are brown, and serve! (if you look closely below, you’ll notice a slice of homemade bread next to the salad and lasagna…more to follow on bread baking!)