RECIPE THIRTY TWO: Sunday October 22nd - lasagna with spicy roasted cauliflower

BACK STORY:
Another lazy weekend day to make a menu requiring long cooking times. I have never cooked lasagna before and when I saw this recipe with roasted cauliflower I had to try it.

NOTES:
The recipe calls for half a head of cauliflower but a full head would have been even better as a denser filler. The roasting does take about 20 minutes, and then cooking another 40-50 minutes on top of that once the lasagna is assembled, so a good 1-1:15 should be budgeted. I used no boil noodles from Trader Joes that cooked up mostly well in my rounded casserole dish. The ricotta and parmesan layers added a cheesy zing - especially the pinch of cinnamon in the ricotta - while the cauliflower was mostly tasteless. I'm not sure roasting added much flavor and think if I do it again it's worth steaming or sauteeing over the stove instead of going through the roasting effort (though you do have to pre-heat the oven so maybe the extra 10 minutes doesn't matter so much). The result was delicious but complicated!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Worth trying agan with some tweaks to make it more user friendly.

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12477-lasagna-with-spicy-roasted-cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds cauliflower (3/4 of a medium head)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•  Salt and freshly ground pepper
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cups marinara sauce, preferably homemade from fresh or canned tomatoes
• 7 to 8 ounces no-boil lasagna
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
•  Pinch of cinnamon
• 4 ounces (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut away the bottom of the cauliflower stem and trim off the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into slices 1/3 inch thick, letting the florets on the edges fall off. Toss all of it, including the bits that have fallen away, with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring and flipping over the big slices after 8 minutes, until the slices are tender when pierced with a paring knife and the small florets are nicely browned. Remove from the oven, toss with the red pepper flakes and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
2. Blend the ricotta cheese, water or stock, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Oil a rectangular baking dish and spread a spoonful of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with a layer of cauliflower, then a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan.
4. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 10 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.