Print

Easy creamed spinach lasagna

easy creamed spinach lasagna
Print Recipe

A hearty creamed spinach lasagna, perfect for any season.
Recipe makes one 12×12 inch (30×30 cm) lasagna, that comfortably serves 4 (or even 6) people.

Ingredients

Scale

Creamed spinach sauce

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 450g (1 pound) frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 180g (6.5 oz) sour cream
  • 175ml (2/3 cups + 1 TBSP) whole milk
  • 1–2 teaspoons sea salt

Béchamel sauce

  • 30g (1 oz or 2 TBSPs) unsalted butter
  • 30g (1 oz or 2 TBSPs) all-purpose flour
  • 300ml (1 1/4 cup) warm milk
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • few grinds of black pepper

The rest

  • 20 uncooked pasta (lasagna) sheets (400g or 14 oz)
  • 300g (10.5 oz) aged (low moisture) mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) and lightly grease a 12-inch (30-cm) square baking dish with oil. Set aside.
  2. Prepare the spinach:
    In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the flour and whisk fast (to prevent flour form burning). This will form a floury paste.
  3. Quickly add the spinach (don’t drain it) and whisk until incorporated. Then add the egg and continue whisking for about 3-5 minutes until the spinach is hot and egg cooked.
  4. Add the garlic powder, sour cream and milk, whisk until incorporated and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a teaspoon of salt, then taste to see if you need more. Set aside.
  5. Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil, then set aside.
  6. Meanwhile make the béchamel.
    In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, melt the butter. Immediately add the flour and whisk until you get a smooth paste.
  7. Slowly add the warm milk, stirring constantly.
  8. Let the béchamel cook for about 3-5 minutes, keep on stirring. Season with salt, nutmeg and few grinds of black pepper.
  9. Once the sauce thickens a bit, set it aside and start preparing the lasagna.
  10. Assemble:
    Place 5 pasta sheets (4 whole, one broken in half vertically) in the pot with hot water. This will soften them and make them easier to handle. (Take them out after about a minute.)
  11. Spread a few teaspoons of both the spinach and béchamel on the bottom of the pan. Place in two and a half pasta sheets vertically, then top with 2 1/2 more sheets horizontally (so they overlap). (Add 5 more pasta sheets to the pot.)
  12. Top with about a ladle of spinach sauce, gently spread it all over pasta, then add 2-3 tablespoons of béchamel. Top with 4 more sheets of pasta and continue in this manner until you run out of the sauces.
  13. The last layer usually has the least amount of sauce, this is the layer you sprinkle with cheese.
  14. Bake the lasagna for about 30 minutes or more, until the cheese is completely melted, even golden brown in some places, and bubbly.
  15. Remove lasagna from the oven and sprinkle with parsley.
  16. Let lasagna sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I use the oven-ready pasta sheets that don’t require precooking. You can fully cook these if you wish, but I don’t think it’s necessary. What I prefer to do is dip them in a pot of boiled water. If I’m making this vegetarian lasagna bolognese, I don’t dip them for long because the tomato sauce gives pasta enough liquid too cook in when in the oven. When I make the spinach lasagna, which is made of a thicker spinach sauce, I like to soak them for at least a minute. It’s perfectly okay if they’re in the water longer than that as you’re busy assembling the lasagna.

ON ASSEMBLY:
This lasagna has 4 pasta layers, made with 20 pasta sheets. Each layer is made of 2 1/2 sheets placed in vertically + another 2 1/2 sheets placed on top horizontally. Adjust the amount of pasta sheets you use if your dish is bigger or smaller.

To keep lasagna warm, cover it with aluminum foil until you are ready to serve. You can even put it back in the oven (turned off).

The easiest way to reheat the lasagna is in the microwave, reheat each serving separately. Alternately, you can reheat the whole lasagna (in the baking dish) in the oven set to 200°C (392°F), just keep it covered with aluminum foil or a lid.

If you’re in the mood for something extra comforting, add a dollop of sour cream to each serving of lasagna.

Keywords: vegetarian, holidays,

Find it online: https://www.sugarsalted.com/easy-creamed-spinach-lasagna/