I am going out of town for a few days to spend time with Nick and his family at Sea Ranch, a small town on the northern California coast.

Nick and I are in charge of making dinner for one of the nights we are up there.  He will make a big salad with lots of colorful vegetables and blue cheese dressing (his favorite).  I made two batches of this lasagna a couple of days ago and frozen one that we will serve with Nick’s salad.

The lasagna is vegetarian, but you’d never notice.  The broccoli is hearty and filling. The cheeses are rich and creamy.  The layers of noodles meld together as the sauce and the cheeses bubble away in the oven.

This is a perfect dish to make and freeze when you have some free time.  Pop it in the oven on a busy week night and you will have a satisfying meal by the time you’ve settled in.

I anticipate a lot of cooking at our rented vacation home at Sea Ranch, meaning I will have tons of recipes to share when I come back.  In the meanwhile, I’ve scheduled a few posts for the days I am gone.  Check back over the weekend to see what I’ve been cooking.

Broccoli and Three-Cheese Lasagna

Adapted from Real Simple, December 2009

• Ricotta, one 15-ounce container (about 1 3/4 cups)
• Frozen broccoli florets, 1 pound, thawed, patted dry and chopped
• Mozzarella, grated, 2 1/4 cups
• Parmesan, grated, 1/2 cup
• Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
• Papper, 1/4 teaspoon
• Marinara sauce, one 24-ounce jar
• Heavy cream, 3/4 cup
• No-boil lasagna noodles, 12 pieces
• Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, broccoli, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  In a small bowl, combine marinara sauce and cream.

Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of an 9-by-13-inch baking dish.  Top with three noodles, a quarter of the remaining sauce and a third of the broccoli mixture.  Repeat twice, ending with sauce.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Cover tightly with an oiled piece of foil and bake until the noodles are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serves 6.