Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until browned; drain the excess liquid. Add the salt, pepper, spaghetti sauce, and tomatoes; stir until well blended then set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, and the egg; mix well. Spead 2 cups of the sauce mixture over the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish that has been coated with nonstick vegetable spray.
Place 4 of the uncooked noodles lengthwise over the sauce and 1 noodle crosswise across the end of the baking dish, completely covering the sauce mixture and pressing the noodles into it. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles, then sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover that evenly with the 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture, then arrange the remaining noodles over the sauce, pressing lightly into the sauce. Spread the remaining sauce over the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella; cover with aluminum foil and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting. |
