Black Bean Lasagna Recipe II

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ½ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried black beans
• 2 ¾ cups canned tomato sauce
• ½ cup salsa
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 ½ cups cottage cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup sliced ripe olives
• 8 sprigs fresh cilantro

Step 1

Gently heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While that’s warming up, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles until they’re just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain them and set aside.

Step 2

Spray a big skillet with non-stick spray and warm it over medium heat. Toss in the onion, red bell pepper, corn, and garlic, cooking until everything softens up nicely. Stir in the black beans, refried beans, tomato sauce, salsa, and half of the chopped cilantro. Let it simmer until it’s heated through and a bit thickened, then take it off the heat.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, ricotta, sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese, and the rest of the cilantro. This will make a creamy, cheesy layer for the lasagna.

Step 4

Grab a 9x13 inch baking dish and spray it with non-stick spray. Lay down three noodles to cover the bottom (trim them if needed). Spread a third of the bean mixture over the noodles, then top with a third of the cheese mixture. Keep layering like this two more times until everything’s used up.

Step 5

Cover the dish with foil and pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes. When it’s done baking, take it out and sprinkle some sliced black olives and a few cilantro sprigs on top before serving.