Warning, this was weird.  It was a brave experiment.  I wasn’t sure I’d like it.   Even when it looked like a perfectly normal lasagna, I was doubtful.   

It was a rhubarb lasagna.
This is how it came to be.

I love rhubarb.   I love it’s tangy vibrancy.  Growing up, I’d pick what grew by our garage.  I’d simply dip the end in a bowl of sugar, eating it like celery sticks and dip.

The problem is that everyone wants to treat rhubarb more like a fruit than like the vegetable that it is.  The problem is that I don’t make sweet things.  I’ve tried to get around this before with my rhubarb chicken salad.  But I had still used rhubarb’s constant companion – strawberries.   Could I make a savory main dish with rhubarb that didn’t cheat with either meat or strawberries?

I consulted my Vegetarian Flavor Bible.  Other than strawberries… rhubarb also goes well with creamy and and cheesy things…

And creamy things also go well with spinach, and green onions…

Suddenly I envisioned a lasagna.  Layers of tangy rhubarb, creamy and funky cheese, and bright greens.

• I took a frozen quart bag of rhubarb and boiled it down with black pepper, and honey, and a touch of vegetable oil. 
• I defrosted frozen spinach and squeezed out the water.  I mixed in a bunch of green onions and one egg.
• I mixed ricotta and goat cheese with some thyme.

I started with a thin layer of rhubarb sauce, then a layer of no-boil lasagna noodles, then rhubarb, cheese, greens, repeat ending with a cheese layer of mozzarella.

Put in the oven (I think it was 350º?) covered, for… well until it I could see it bubbling on the sides of the glass.  I finished it under the broiler to get the cheese all toasty.

I actually liked it!  I enjoyed it as a brunch or lunch.  Will wasn’t as sold, but I think he had it for dinner.  Still, I’m counting it as a successful experiment.