Deconstructed Lasagna

I need to buy a lottery ticket or something because lately, I've been pretty darn lucky. Last week, I got to see my bestie Erin three times within a four day period....this is UNHEARD OF with our busy schedules. Not to mention that neither she nor I are phone talkers so we do most of our communicating through email and her sweet husby Ryan (whom I work with and also happen to adore and have a killer friendship with).

Erin and Ryan had me over to their house for one last dinner and hurrah before they move into their first home this upcoming weekend (it's the cutest house EVER and has personality and pizzaz just like them!!!). Since I've known Erin (going on 8 years now WOW!), she's really branched out and explored in her cooking but like me, we both gravitate towards clean, simple flavors. This was a Martha Stewart recipe she found (I can't remember where!) and it really is sensational. Traditional lasagna is typically heavy, calorically damaging, and takes hours to prepare. This was light, full of flavor, and as you can see by the picture above, looks just as good as it tastes. 

Erin did most of the prep work before I arrived and I had the pleasure of sitting at her table (when I wasn't getting in her way to take pictures) and drank wine while she bustled around and finished things up. The globs of creamy deliciousness in the picture are ricotta cheese, the shaved bits are fresh pecorino. I LOVE pecorino cheese -- it has such a nice bite to it when it's hardened and it is equally amazing fresh with a little drizzle of honey...mmmmmm.......

If you're a garlic lover, this is a great recipe for you because this uses seven cloves. Torn fresh basil and sweet tomatoes round out the other flavors with a slight drizzle of buttery high quality olive oil on top. 

I scraped the bowl. Really.

Red and yellow cherub tomatoes, 7 cloves of pressed garlic

Queen of the kitchen!

Finished product!

Deconstructed Lasagna With Ricotta And Tomatoes

• 1 Tbs. + 1 Tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (Erin pressed hers; I'll probably use minced when I make this.)
• 3 Cups mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (2 pints)
• 1/2 Tsp. coarse salt 
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 Cup chicken stock
• 8 Lasagna noodles
• 2/3 Cup small basil leaves (Erin tore hers)
• 1/2 Cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 1 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a high sided skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add 2  cups tomatoes and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add chicken stock. Simmer until sauce-like, about 1 minute. Add remaining cup of tomatoes. Cook until warm, about 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain.

Toss pasta in skillet to coat. Stir in basil, reserving some for garnish.

Divide pasta among 4 plates, top with any remaining sauce. Dot with ricotta cheese and drizzle any remaining olive oil. Top with shaved pecorino cheese and remaining basil. Sprinkle with pepper.

Nutrition Information:

357 calories, 3g saturated fat, 7g unsaturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 52g carbohydrates, 304mg sodium, 16g protein, 4g fiber

* Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart