Today is my last day of being 27 years old.  27 has been good to me, but I’m excited to see what 28 has in store.  It’s weird to think that I only have two more years of being in my 20’s.  I can remember the day I turned 20 and thinking, “Finally! I’m not a teenager anymore.  I’m an adult and I’m important.”

While I’m important at any age, I was far from being an adult.  20 is barely not a teenager and I had so much I still needed to learn.  In all honesty, I still have a lot to learn and I think that is true for any age.  Except maybe 100.  Once you hit 100, you can pretty much do whatever you want and your excuse is I made it this long I think I’m gonna be just fine. 

I decided to make you a delicious dinner for my birthday, which now that I’m typing it out sounds backwards.  You should be making me a delicious dinner for my birthday.  Jeez, you’re lazy!  Making me do all the work on my birthday!

You know how delicious spinach artichoke dip is?  That was my inspiration for this lasagna.  Instead of cheese, I used bechamel sauce and artichokes along with a layer of spinach to create a creamy and delicious filling.  This meal can come together really fast if you use a jar of tomato sauce and a box of lasagna noodles.  But if you want to make everything from scratch like I did, I promise you won’t regret the time you put in. 

This is also one of those meals that is even better the next day and makes really great leftovers for lunches throughout the week.

See?  I’m feeding you even beyond dinner.  28 is making me a giver!

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

• 1 batch of my tomato sauce or a jar of your favorite store brand
• 1 box of gluten free lasagna noodles (I made these from Against All Grains)
• 3-4 cups spinach leaves
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 1 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

1. If you are making the tomato sauce and noodles get those ready and set aside.  If you’re using boxed noodles make sure they are cooked and ready to go.
2. To make the bechamel sauce: In a blender or food processor, grind the cashews, Italian seasonings, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp celery salt into a fine powder.  Set aside.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add in 2 tablespoons of the cashew powder and stir to make a paste.  Cook until the cashew powder turns golden brown.
4. Whisk in the can of coconut milk and keep whisking to combine the paste and milk.  Whisk in the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper.  Keep cooking and whisking the milk until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference.
5. Pour the sauce into a blender and add in the drained artichoke hearts.  Pulse a few times to break up the artichokes, but don’t make it completely smooth.
6. Now it’s time to build the lasagna.  Preheat the oven to 350 and get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Put a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, then a layer of noodles, a layer of artichoke sauce, a layer of spinach, and a layer of tomato sauce.  Keep going until you run out of noodles and make sure you end on tomato sauce.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.  Remove from oven and uncover.  Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before you slice and serve. 

You can make this lasagna ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven at dinner time.  I hope you have a Happy Halloween and a great weekend!