Best Spinach And Ricotta Lasagna Recipes

POLENTA LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND HERBY RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees and butter an 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet pan. Grease a rubber spatula with butter.
• Prepare the polenta: In a large pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, then slowly pour in polenta, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking often, until polenta thickens, 8 to 12 minutes. Whisk in 4 tablespoons butter until melted. Whisk in spinach until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in 1 cup grated Parmesan.
• Scrape polenta onto the prepared baking sheet. Using the greased rubber spatula, spread the mixture into a thin, even layer to cover the entire pan, all the way to corners. Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Parmesan on top. Bake until polenta is firm and cheese has melted, 12 to 18 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or place in refrigerator until cool to touch, about 40 to 50 minutes. (Polenta can be baked the day before and refrigerated until needed.)
• When ready to bake the lasagna, heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Prepare the ricotta filling: In a small bowl, mix ricotta, parsley, basil, egg, black pepper, nutmeg and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
• Taste the marinara sauce. If it needs some zip, stir in any or all of the optional ingredients.
• Assemble the lasagna: Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut cooled polenta in half widthwise, creating 2 pieces roughly 9 by 13 inches each. Using a large spatula, gently place one half in prepared baking dish. (It is important for polenta to be completely cooled and firm; otherwise, the pieces may break when transferring to baking dish. If anything breaks, just reassemble it in the pan. It won't make much of a difference once it's covered in sauce and baked.)
• Spread about half the ricotta mixture in an even layer on top of polenta. Pour about half of marinara sauce on top of ricotta, sprinkle with about half of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat with remaining polenta, ricotta, marinara and mozzarella. Once assembled, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on top.
• Place baking dish on top of a rimmed sheet pan in case the lasagna bubbles over. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes. If you like, you can broil lasagna for 2 minutes after baking until cheese starts to bubble and develop brown spots.
• Remove from oven and let lasagna stand for about 15 minutes to firm up before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Place flour on a work surface and make a well in the center. Add eggs, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat eggs using a fork, progressively incorporating the surrounding flour to make a sticky dough. Grease your hands with some oil and knead dough for 10 minutes into a smooth and soft ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Combine spinach and water in a skillet over medium heat and cook until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain spinach in a sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Return spinach to the skillet. Add Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, and garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Discard garlic and allow spinach to cool.
• Chop cooled spinach and combine with ricotta, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Roll out pasta dough on a clean work surface into a very thin rectangle. Spread spinach filling on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all 4 sides. Roll up dough from the long side and seal well on the edges so filling won't leak out.
• Soak a large piece of parchment paper in water and squeeze out well. Wrap lasagna roll with the damp parchment paper and tie up the ends like a piece of candy.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna roll in the boiling water for about 12 minutes. Drain. Discard parchment paper and let cool slightly. Slice the roll into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a casserole dish.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt 3 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat until it starts to foam. Add sage leaves and coat with butter. Cook for 1 minute; remove sage leaves. Drizzle butter over lasagna roll pieces in the casserole dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 10 minutes.

LAZY LASAGNA WITH LAMB RAGU, SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the ragu: Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil smokes, pat the ground lamb dry and add to pan, brown to caramelize the meat, season with rosemary, marjoram, cloves, salt, and pepper. Once the meat has browned, add the onion, carrot, garlic and cook to soften 10 minutes more, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in stock then wine, reduce heat to low and gently simmer.
• In salted boiling water, undercook the pasta by 2 minutes from package directions. Reserve a cup of starchy pasta liquid.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepot over medium heat, whisk in 2 tablespoons flour, 1 to 2 minutes, whisk in the milk and simmer to thicken. Season the bechamel sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, to taste.
• Drain the pasta and add back to the pasta pot. Toss the pasta with the lamb ragu and some of the reserved starchy cooking water to loosen. Pour the pasta into a large casserole. Scatter the spinach around on top of pasta.
• Combine the ricotta with mint and/or parsley, dot the pasta with ricotta evenly around the casserole. Pour the bechamel sauce in even layer around the casserole and top with grated cheese. Cool and store for make-ahead meal. Reheat in 350 degree F oven, covered, for 30 minutes then raise the heat to 425 degrees F and bake uncovered, until brown and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• To serve immediately, transfer the casserole to a preheated 425 degree F oven and bake about 15 to 20 minutes, to brown.

ROASTED CHICKEN LASAGNA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH (TASTE OF HOME)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, spinach, egg, oregano and back pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Prepare lasagna noodles according to package. Drain. Rinse. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
• While noodles are boiling, remove skin from chicken and chop meat into bite size pieces. You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups of chicken. Set aside.
• Spray 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• To assemble lasagna :.
• Spoon 1 cup sauce over bottom of pan.
• Arrange 4 noodles, 3 lengthwise, 1 crosswise over sauce.
• Top noodles with another 1c sauce
• Top with 1/3 of the chicken, 1/3 feta, 1/3 mozzarella and 1/3 of the olives.
• Arrange 4 more noodles over top, followed by 1c sauce, 1/3 of the chicken, all of the ricotta/spinach mixture, 1/3 feta, 1/3 mozzarella, and 1/3 olives. Repeat layering with remaining noodles, sauce, chicken, feta, mozzarella, and olives. Sprinkle parsley over top.
• Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375°F for 40 minute Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes. Let stand 10 min before serving.
• *** I know the layering sounds confusing. It isn't 1/3 c of each. It is a third of each. Like use one third of the chicken, one third of the feta cheese, and one third mozzarella etc for the layering. **.

SPINACH, RICOTTA AND PUMPKIN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Fill a saucepan with 1/2 inch of water, then add pumpkin pieces. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and steam until the pumpkin is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain pumpkin, then mash with 1 tablespoon butter, cinnamon; salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste just begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk gradually so that no lumps form. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the bay leaves, and reduce heat to low or warm. Allow to gently cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, then remove from heat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, fennel, and garlic; cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Scrape mixture into a large bowl, and mix well with ricotta cheese and nutmeg.
• Using the same skillet, heat another 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Brown ground beef in oil, mixing thoroughly to break into small pieces. Once browned, reduce heat to medium-low and pour off excess grease. Stir in tomato paste and tomato puree. Gently simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch lasagna dish.
• Line the bottom of the lasagna dish with 4 noodles, do not overlap. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over noodles, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Place another 4 noodles on top of the ricotta, then spread with evenly with the mashed pumpkin. Place the remaining 4 noodles on top of the pumpkin and top with the tomato sauce; sprinkle with another 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Stir the white sauce until smooth, then discard the bay leaves; pour the sauce over top of the lasagna. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Place lasagna dish onto a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch any spills). Bake in preheated oven until the noodles have softened, and the white sauce has turned bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

ROAST VEGETABLE, SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNA (MODIFIED)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180'C/350'F Grease a large baking dish. Cube the vegetables, place them in the dish, coat with 4 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until they start to soften but still have some bite.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. Add passata (or chopped tomatoes) and herbs and simmer for 10-30 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and stir through roasted vegetables.
• In a large bowl mash ricotta and feta cheese with a fork, and mix in the egg, nutmeg and basil. Blanch spinach in a pot of boiling water for 30 secs or until wilted. Drain and add to ricotta mixture. Leave aside.
• For the cheese sauce melt butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add flour and stir until mixture becomes frothy. SLOWLY add milk, whisking as you go. Remove from heat, stir in the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper.
• Grease a large, deep baking dish. Spread half of the roast vegetable sauce over the bottom, and cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, trimming noodles to fit dish if needed.
• Spread the ricotta mix on top, followed by another layer of noodles. Spoon over remaining roast vegetable sauce, followed by a layer of noodles. Spread the cheese sauce on top, and sprinkle with extra grated cheese and parmesan.
• Bake at 200'C for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving, or refrigerate overnight.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cheese sauce: Melt butter, stir in flour, take pan off heat and stir in a few ml of milk to make a paste. Slowly add the rest of the milk, bit by bit, stirring to keep sauce smooth. Return to the heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
• Wash spinach and add to a pan, wet. Allow to steam quickly in its own moisture. When wilted take off the heat and run under cold water. Drain spinach and squeeze dry.
• Chop spinach and add to bowl with all the other filling ingredients.
• To assemble: Put half the tin of tomatoes on the bottom of a glass dish. Cover with a layer of lasagna. Spread 1/3 spinach mix, cover with next layer of lasagna. Continue layering till finished lasagna. Top with remainder of tomatoes and pour over Cheese sauce.
• Bake in 180 degree oven for about half an hour till brown and bubbling on top.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the filling: Drain the ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl for 1 hour, or longer if the ricotta is very wet. If using fresh spinach, stem and rinse it well; don't dry the leaves. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook the spinach until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, squeeze out the excess moisture, and chop finely. If using thawed frozen spinach, squeeze it dry. Melt the butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and toss it for 1 or 2 minutes to coat it with the butter. Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Add the ricotta, Parmigiano, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well. You should have about 4-1/2 cups. Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Slip the noodles, two or three at a time, into the boiling water and cook them until they're tender and pale, 3 to 5 minutes (thinner noodles will cook more quickly). To make sure they're done, taste a small piece. If it's still tough, it needs a little more cooking (fresh pasta should not be cooked al dente like dried pasta). Carefully scoop the noodles out of the pot with a large wire skimmer and slide them into the ice water to stop the cooking. When they're cool, layer them between clean dish towels until you're ready to assemble the lasagne (The noodles will keep this way for up to 2 hours). Assemble the lasagne: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Choose a baking dish that's about 9x12 inches and 3 inches deep, or about 10x14 inches and 2 inches deep. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a sparse layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of cooked noodles, cutting them as needed to fill the gaps. CONT'D ABOVE

LASAGNA WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400*. Rinse spinach and place in a saucepan with water still clinging to its leaves. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until wilted. Drain, refresh under cold water, squeeze out all excess liquid. Chop finely. Cook lasagna sheets in plenty of boiling salted water, until tender but still firm to the bite, drain, and pat dry with kitchen towels.
• Brush a 12x8-inch ovenproof dish with a little of the melted butter. In a bowl, combine the spinach, Fontina (or Gruyere), Parmesan, Ricotta, cream cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Cover the base of the dish with a later of lasagna sheets and spread with 3 tablespoons of the spinach mixture. Repeat layering until all the lasagna is used, making no more than 6 layers. Finish with the remaining spinach mixture. Drizzle with the remaining melted butter, then cook for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown.