Lasagna with Spinach, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Finely chop the spinach, and saute in butter, season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Fold the spinach, along with 1/2 cup of the bechamel into half of the ricotta. Season with the grated parmesan cheese and set aside.
Fold the tomato sauce in to the remaining ricotta. Season with grated parmesan and set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 350 or 375. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add one or two lasagna sheets at a time, and boil for about 1 minute, or until they soften. Remove the sheets and plunge in to ice water to stop the cooking. Blot dry and rub the sheets liberally with olive oil to keep them from sticking. Keep them loosely stacked on a platter and start to build the lasagna.
Cover the bottom of the buttered lasagna pan with one layer of lasagna sheets. Then spread a thin layer of bechamel, followed by half of the spinach & ricotta mixture.
Apply another layer of lasagna sheets, and spread the tomato & ricotta mixture.
Add a layer of the fresh mozzarella on top of the tomato-ricotta mixture.
Repeat with another layer of pasta, bechamel, then the remaining spinach & ricotta mixture.
Cover the lasagna with another layer of lasagna sheets and spread with bechamel. Sprinkle grated parmesan all over the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand.
Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Season to taste, turn the heat off and keep warm.
Ingredients:
- 1 Package of Fresh Lasagna Sheets
- 3/4 lb Frozen Spinach, thawed
- 1 lb Fresh Hand-Dipped Ricotta
- 1 lb Fresh Mozzarella, diced
- 20 oz Tomato Sauce
- 2 Cups of Bechamel, (recipe follows)
- 1/4 lb grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Buttered 9x13” Lasagna Pan
Instructions:
Finely chop the spinach, and saute in butter, season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Fold the spinach, along with 1/2 cup of the bechamel into half of the ricotta. Season with the grated parmesan cheese and set aside.
Fold the tomato sauce in to the remaining ricotta. Season with grated parmesan and set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 350 or 375. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add one or two lasagna sheets at a time, and boil for about 1 minute, or until they soften. Remove the sheets and plunge in to ice water to stop the cooking. Blot dry and rub the sheets liberally with olive oil to keep them from sticking. Keep them loosely stacked on a platter and start to build the lasagna.
Cover the bottom of the buttered lasagna pan with one layer of lasagna sheets. Then spread a thin layer of bechamel, followed by half of the spinach & ricotta mixture.
Apply another layer of lasagna sheets, and spread the tomato & ricotta mixture.
Add a layer of the fresh mozzarella on top of the tomato-ricotta mixture.
Repeat with another layer of pasta, bechamel, then the remaining spinach & ricotta mixture.
Cover the lasagna with another layer of lasagna sheets and spread with bechamel. Sprinkle grated parmesan all over the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp butter - 3 tbsp flour - 2 cups milk
- salt - pepper - nutmeg
Instructions:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand.
Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Season to taste, turn the heat off and keep warm.
