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Cheesy Black Bean Lasagna

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves finely minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cans (15-ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes (see note)
  • 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 2 cups (about 425 grams) ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (see note)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, depending on the flavor you want
  • 3 cups (about 340 grams) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles, enough for 3 layers

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
  • In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to turn translucent.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and mix until the ingredients come together. Add the beans, crushed or diced tomatoes, and broth. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher, lightly mash the beans. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta or cottage cheese, parsley or cilantro, and 2 cups of the cheese.
  • Spread about 1/2 cup or so of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer three noodles, 1/3 of the sauce mixture followed by 1/3 of the cheese mixture (just dollop it in spoonfuls, it doesn't need to be a completely even layer). Repeat two more times. Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top.
  • Cover with lightly greased foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the lasagna is heated through. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Tomatoes: you can use either crushed or diced tomatoes - a lot will depend on how you want the texture of the finished lasagna to be (you could even use a 15-ounce can of each).
Cheese: I've made this with both ricotta and cottage cheese and when I use cottage cheese, I like to drain any excess liquid and lightly blend it (not to smithereens - just a few short pulses).
Noodles: if you don't have no-boil lasagna noodles on hand (I prefer the Barilla brand or the whole wheat ones at Target), you can use normal noodles but boil them several minutes short of al dente and pat dry before using.