Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Serves 6

• 1/2 package lasagna sheets (or the recipe to make them at home)
• 800 g (1.75 lb) baby spinach (frozen or fresh)
• 300 g (1⅓ cups) ricotta
• 1 extra-large egg
• 70 g (¾ cup) grated Parmesan
• Salt, pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 knob of butter

For the béchamel

• 50 g (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp) sifted all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 50 g (3½ Tbsp) butter
• 1 liter (4 cups) milk

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Making the filling

1. If you are using frozen spinach, put it in a skillet with a knob of butter and sauté until no liquid remains (otherwise it will release water into the lasagna).

2. In a large bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta and egg. The mixture should be soft, neither too runny nor too thick. You will add a small ladleful of béchamel to the mixture.

Making the béchamel

3. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to combine well. A roux will form (a smooth mixture of flour and butter). The heat should be medium and not too hot so the butter doesn’t burn. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the milk all at once. Bring to a boil, lower to medium heat and stir with a whisk (to avoid lumps), and keep cooking until thickened. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, and add the nutmeg.

Assembling the lasagna

5. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

6. In a baking dish, spread a ladleful of béchamel, then a layer of lasagna sheets, making sure they stick to the sauce (even if you have to break the corners a little), then a layer of filling (fairly thin, since there will be more layers, but it should cover the lasagna sheets). Repeat: a thin layer of béchamel, a layer of lasagna sheets, a light dusting of Parmesan, and keep going until you run out of ingredients. The last layer of filling should be covered with a layer of lasagna sheets, then a generous ladleful of béchamel, which should also cover the corners. Add a little pepper and sprinkle the whole surface with the rest of the freshly grated Parmesan.

7. Bake for about 20 minutes (preferably on the lower rack so the béchamel doesn’t dry out). If you like a nicely browned top, all you have to do is switch the oven to broil (grill) for 5 more minutes (without moving the dish up).

Serve with a baby greens or arugula salad.

Tips and variations

For this recipe, I make 3 layers of filling (that is, 4 layers of lasagna sheets), and it is delicious.

For a salmon version, just add 400 g (14 oz) skinless salmon fillets, cut into cubes, to the skillet with the spinach 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

Most brands of lasagna sheets are now no-boil, so you put them straight into the dish and they cook along with everything else in the oven. The important thing is that they are well soaked in sauce.

You can make the filling a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

This recipe is also excellent with cannelloni. Just stuff them and proceed as for the lasagna.

You can use tomato sauce instead of béchamel, as in these spinach ricotta conchiglioni] !