Spinach And Ricotta Lasagne Recipes

SPINACH AND BEEF LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot pot with garlic, oregano, and basil until beef is completely browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir spaghetti sauce and spinach into ground beef mixture; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Stir ricotta cheese, 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl.
• Spread a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Arrange lasagna noodles in a single layer over the sauce. Spread another layer of sauce over the top and arrange another layer of lasagna noodles over sauce. Spread 1/2 the remaining sauce and 1/2 the cheese mixture over the top. Repeat layers, finishing with sauce. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, remove aluminum foil, sprinkle lasagna with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and bake until noodles are cooked through and sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in a saucepot and add the butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crush them up a bit. Add the passata, a fat handful of torn basil leaves, the onion and some salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the onion and set the sauce aside.
• Separate the spinach while adding it to a mixing bowl. Add half of the mozzarella, the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the eggs yolks and mix to combine. Season with grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Layer a little sauce into a lasagna pan and top with three flat lasagna sheets or four curly. Top with a little more sauce, and then half of the spinach and cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer, and end on top with lasagna sheets. Top with some sauce and the remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• The lasagna can be stored before or after baking for a make-ahead meal, or baked to serve immediately. When baking the first time, bake at 375 degrees F, uncovered, from room temperature until cooked through and brown and bubbling on top, 60 to 70 minutes. If reheating, bake at 375 degrees F, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Let the lasagna rest 20 minutes before cutting. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Stir the ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella and parmesan.
• Spread about 1/2 cup marinara sauce in a thin layer in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover with a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (4 to 6 noodles), breaking them as needed to fit. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with about one-third of the remaining sauce, then sprinkle with about one-third of the mozzarella mixture. Repeat the layers (noodles, ricotta, sauce, mozzarella mixture). Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce and mozzarella mixture.
• Cover and cook on low, 4 hours. Uncover and let rest 15 minutes so the excess liquid is absorbed.

BEEF AND SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; crumble beef drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, garlic, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella cheese., Spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with 3 noodles. Spread 1-1/2 cups sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella cheese., Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until bubbly, 10-15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. If desired, top with minced fresh basil.

ROAST VEGETABLE LASAGNE WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Place the vegetables in a roasting dish, cover in the olive oil and brown sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Tear the basil over the top of the vegies.
• Roast at 180C for around 45 minutes.
• While the vegetables are roasting, make pasta sauce (if you are using homemade) and spinach/ricotta mix.
• For the spinach and ricotta mix, defrost the spinach in the microwave.
• Mix into the thawed spinach the ricotta, cubed feta and parmesan. Stir thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
• Layer the lasagne as follows: Pasta sauce on the bottom, then lasagne sheet, ricotta mix, lasagne sheet, vegetables (minus the garlic cloves), lasagne sheet, ricotta mix, lasagne sheet, pasta sauce, cheddar cheese. Finish off with the second amount of parmesan over the top of the lasagne (this helps create a great golden colour and a delicious flavour once it's cooked). I also like to add another dash of cracked pepper to the top for good measure.
• Bake the lasagne at 180C for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
• If you feel so inclined, you can use the roasted cloves of garlic to make garlic butter for homemade garlic bread. Yum!

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Heat the oil in a medium pan, then fry the onion for 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a minute, then add the red wine. Turn up the heat and bubble for 3-4 minutes to reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, sugar, Worcester sauce and tomato purée. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Add the basil and season.
• Meanwhile, put the spinach in a large pan with a knob of butter. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Drain in a colander, then wrap in a clean J-cloth and squeeze out any excess water. Roughly chop, then mix with the rest of the spinach/ricotta sauce ingredients. Taste and season.
• Spread a little of the spinach and ricotta sauce over the base of the baking dish, then cover with slightly overlapping lasagne sheets (see our /how-to-layer-a-lasagne/short video on layering up a similar lasagne). Pour over a third of the remaining white sauce, sprinkle over a little of the grated cheese and top with half the tomato sauce. Cover with another layer of lasagne sheets, top with half the remaining white sauce, then all the remaining red sauce. Add the final layer of lasagne sheets, then spread with the rest of the white sauce. Scatter with the remaining grated cheese.
• Top with the mozzarella slices, then the 30g parmesan and bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.If you're feeling very organised, you could even try your hand at /how-to-make-fresh-ricotta/making your own fresh ricotta.

SPINACH LASAGNA III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.
• Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

RICOTTA AND SPINACH LASAGNE

Steps:

• Place the milk, butter, flour and bay leaf together in a saucepan, giving it a good seasoning, then, over a medium heat, whisking the whole lot together continually until it comes to simmering point and has thickened.
• Now turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. After that, stir in 2 oz (50 g) of the Parmesan, then remove it from the heat, discard the bay leaf and place some clingfilm over the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
• Trim the spinach, and wash the leaves thoroughly in 2 or 3 changes of cold water and shake them dry. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then pile the spinach leaves in on top, sprinkling them with a little salt as you go. Place the pan over a medium heat, put a lid on and cook the spinach for about 2 minutes, turning the leaves over halfway through. After that, the leaves will have collapsed down and become tender - Drain the spinach in a colander and, when it's cool enough to handle, squeeze it in your hands to get rid of every last drop of liquid
• Chop it finely, then put it in a bowl, add the ricotta, then approximately 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the sauce. Give it a good seasoning of salt and pepper and add the grated nutmeg. Then mix everything together really thoroughly and, finally, fold in the crumbled Gorgonzola.
• Place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the pine nuts and dry-fry them for about 1 minute, tossing them around to get them nicely toasted
• Then remove the pan from the heat and assemble the lasagne. spread a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish and, on top of that, a third of the spinach mixture, followed by a scattering of toasted pine nuts. Now place sheets of pasta on top of this you may need to tear some of them in half with your hands to make them fit. Now repeat the whole process, this time adding a third of the grated Mozzarella along with the pine nuts, then the lasagne sheets.
• Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella.
• When you are ready to cook the lasagne, place it on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Then remove it from the oven and let it settle for about 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH LASAGNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
• Melt 50g of the butter in a pan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk in the milk till smooth. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the bay leaf and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Remove the stalks from the spinach, then wilt with the remaining 20g butter in a covered pan. When wilted, drain, then, when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the liquid.
• Chop the spinach and mix with the ricotta, a ladleful of the white sauce and a good grating of nutmeg. Season.
• In a baking dish, layer the lasagne sheets, white sauce, spinach mixture and a grating of Parmesan. Finish with a layer of pasta topped with sauce and more Parmesan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or till golden.

SPINACH AND BEEF LASAGNA WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan.
• Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add ground beef, onion, and mushrooms. Cook until ground beef has browned and onion is tender, stirring frequently.
• Pour off any excess fat. Add the flour, basil, oregano, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and black pepper.
• Stir to blend and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Gradually stir in milk, tomato sauce, and water. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil; remove from heat.
• In a bowl, beat egg with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Stir in well-drained (and squeezed) spinach and ricotta cheese.
• Spoon about one-third of the meat mixture into prepared baking dish.
• Arrange half of the lasagna noodles over the meat mixture.
• Top the noodle layer with the entire spinach-ricotta mixture.
• Then top with another one-third of the meat mixture and all of the mozzarella cheese.
• Finish with remaining lasagna noodles and remaining meat mixture.
• Sprinkle lasagna evenly with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake lasagna for about 40 to 45 minutes. Let lasagna stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

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 LASAGNE

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 and squeee out excess moisture and chop finely. If using thawed frozen spinach, squeeze it dry.
• Melt the butter in a 10 inch or 12 inch skillet over medim-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 to 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: If using dried lasagna noodles instead of fresh use 1 lb and skip these cooking instructions--cook according to package instructions. If cooking fresh: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Slip the noodles, 2 or 3 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 frequently. 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 lasagna (the noodles will keep this way for up to 2 hours).
• Make the Quick Tomato Sauce: In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, parsley, basil, a generous pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables are pale gold (10 to 12 minutes). Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stir well, and simmer gently to blend the flavors and reduce the sauce to about 4 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes (adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer). Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a smoother texture, pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor.
• Make the Basic Cream Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the mixture brown. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and bring just to a simmer, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened to a creamy, gravy-like consistency and no longer tastes of raw flour, 6 to 8 minutes for a single batch, 10 to 12 minutes for a double batch (you only need 1 batch for this recipe). Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If you don't use this sauce within 30 minutes it will thicken. Add a little warm milk and whisk to the sauce to thin it if necessary.
• Assemble the lasagna: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Choose a 9x12x3 inch baking dish or 10x14x2 inch baking dish. 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. With a spatula, spread one third of the spinach and ricotta filling (about 1 1/2 cups) over the first layer of noodles. Then spread one third of the remaining tomato sauce (about 1 1/3 cups) and one third (1/2 cup) of the cream sauce over the filling. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano on top. Add a new layer of noodles, overlapping them slightly, and repeat the layers as instructed above, using all of the filling and ending with the Parmigiano, to make a total of 3 layers (you may not need all the pasta). Dot the top with the butter cubes.
• Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until heated through and bubbling at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

RAVIOLI LASAGNA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
• Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl.
• Add ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil, salt and garlic powder to the bowl with the spinach and stir really well with a fork to combine. Add a pinch of optional nutmeg, if desired.
• Pour a very thin layer of marinara sauce into the prepared baking dish to cover bottom (about ½ cup).
• Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce. Spread or dollop half of the ricotta mixture over the ravioli. Top with half of the remaining marinara.
• Repeat layers once more, adding remaining ravioli, then remaining ricotta mixture, and finally remaining marinara. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan on top.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 more minutes or until bubbly and hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNE WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Begin this by making the sauce, which can be done using the all-in-one method. This means placing the milk, butter, flour and bay leaf together in a saucepan, giving it a good seasoning, then, over a medium heat, whisking the whole lot together continually until it comes to simmering point and has thickened. Now turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. After that, stir in 2 oz (50 g) of the Parmesan, then remove it from the heat, discard the bay leaf and place some clingfilm over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Now you need to deal with the spinach. First of all remove and discard the stalks, then wash the leaves really thoroughly in 2 or 3 changes of cold water and shake them dry. Next, take your largest saucepan, pop the knob of butter in it, then pile the spinach leaves in on top, sprinkling them with a little salt as you go. Now place the pan over a medium heat, put a lid on and cook the spinach for about 2 minutes, turning the leaves over halfway through. After that, the leaves will have collapsed down and become tender. Next drain the spinach in a colander and, when it's cool enough to handle, squeeze it in your hands to get rid of every last drop of liquid. Then place it on a chopping board and chop it finely. Now put it into a bowl, add the ricotta, then approximately 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the sauce. Give it a good seasoning of salt and pepper and add the grated nutmeg. Then mix everything together really thoroughly and, finally, fold in the crumbled Gorgonzola. Now you need to place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the pine nuts and dry-fry them for about 1 minute, tossing them around to get them nicely toasted but being careful that they don't burn. Then remove the pan from the heat and assemble the lasagne. To do this, spread a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish and, on top of that, a third of the spinach mixture, followed by a scattering of toasted pine nuts. Now place sheets of pasta on top of this - you may need to tear some of them in half with your hands to make them fit. Now repeat the whole process, this time adding a third of the grated Mozzarella along with the pine nuts, then the lasagne sheets. Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella. When you are ready to cook the lasagne, place it on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Then remove it from the oven and let it settle for about 10 minutes before serving. For more pasta recipes see our Cookery School Videos for Perfect Pasta and Baked Pasta on this page