Last Minute Lasagna

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple.

• 1 24- or 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
• 2 16- to 18-ounce bags frozen large cheese ravioli, unthawed
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess water
• 1 8-ounce bag shredded mozarella
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan
• Optional: 1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with a single layer of ravioli. Top with the spinach, half the mozzarella, ground meat (optional), and a third of the sauce. Repeat with another layer of ravioli (not all the ravioli may be needed), and top with the remaining mozzarella and sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Notes and tweaks:

• I add ground meat to the recipe to add protein to the meal.
• I like the recipe very sauce-y so I actually use 1.5 jars of sauce.
• Once I have the Parm on top of the lasagna, I like to sprinkle some dried basil and fresh cracked black pepper on top.
• If you work during the day, I recommend first thing in the morning you open up your pack of frozen spinach and place it in a colander in the sink or over a large bowl to catch the drainage. While you're out, the spinach will thaw and start draining. Then when you're ready to assemble the lasagna in the evening, all you have to do is squeeze out the remaining water with the back of a spoon.
• I stock up on econo-size bags of frozen cheese ravioli at Costco.