Creamy Spinach Lasagna

 A creamy spinach and ricotta lasagna with mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce.

During a school week I use up all my free time procrastinating. It’s inevitable. Usually, this means watching a new episode of Grey’s Anatomy or Vampire Diaries. Or Facebook. Or eating. And as much as I enjoy reading, I won’t do it while I’m procrastinating- but I do make an effort to glance through at least a few pages before I go to bed.

By the way, did you notice that the word ‘bed’ looks like a bed? Woah. Revelation moment.

During the summer, if I’m really into a book, I can finish it in a matter of days- or hours, depending on the length. I’ll get to the Lasagna, I promise. But first, I want to talk about this book I read. It’s called Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I’ve read two other books by her- which were both dark, but difficult to put down. This one was the same way- except less dark. The story revolves around a senior who gets arrested for pulling a prank- though he isn’t put in jail, the novel focuses on how this one choice impacts his life. It brings up a lot of important themes seen in a young adult society- like how if you make one bad choice, everything you do from then on is associated with that. Or how parents putting pressure on you to do well in school isn’t necessarily a smart choice and often has negative results.

A lot of young adult novels don’t make you think all that much- I think they’re just for entertainment.  But this one does. It made me think literarily, although the whole story is great too- and the narrator is so relatable. So yeah. If you’re looking for something to read over the summer, read Twisted.

Now let’s talk about this creamy spinach lasagna recipe.

Garfield? Lasagna? Yeah. Lasagna. Layers of oozing cheese and tomatoes. Piping hot. So good.

There are so many variations of lasagna. Of course, there’s a classic meat lasagna. But you can get a little creative. I have a recipe for spinach, ricotta and feta stuffed shells– which I cannot get enough of.

The lasagna here is inspired by that- similar filling (without the feta)- same spinach and ricotta mixture- same tomato sauce, different cheese. I use mozzarella here, but feel free to use whatever you’ve got on hand. I think cheddar or gouda would be nice too.

This is very simple to put together- the only thing that could go wrong is burning it (don’t). Layer it up and put it into the oven. You’ve got melted, cheesy, spinachy goodness in minutes. This lasagna is hearty and quite comforting. The kind you can pull out of the refrigerator at midnight and eat out of the pan with a fork. BONUS. It’s also fairly good for you (shhh… I never said that). Make it for dinner, you guys. Then pull it out at midnight.

Creamy spinach lasagna

 A creamy spinach and ricotta lasagna with mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce.

Yield: 8 people

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

• 12 Lasagna sheets
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

For the spinach mixture:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g ricotta cheese
• 250 g roughly chopped spinach
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 medium sized cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 2 tsp chilli flakes, optional
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium sized cloves of garlic, crushed
• 28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 F or 180 C.

To make the tomato sauce:

• Sauté the garlic in the olive oil for several minutes or until fragrant, but not browned.
• Add the canned tomatoes and seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Taste for flavor and set aside. !To make the spinach mixture:
• In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent.
• Add the spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted and is cooked through.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, ricotta, nutmeg, salt, pepper, chili flakes and parmesan in a medium sized bowl until well-incorporated.
• Add in the spinach mixture and taste for seasoning.

To assemble the Lasagna:

• Spread a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce at the bottom of a casserole dish*.
• Layer 3 lasagna sheets (you may have to break it up to fit) evenly to cover the sauce.
• Spread 1/3 of the spinach mixture, top with 1/4 of the tomato sauce mixture and sprinkle 1/4 of the grated mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat this procedure one more time then sprinkle 2 tbsp of water on top.
• Repeat the procedure another time, and top with the last layer of lasagna sheets. Then cover this layer with the remaining tomato sauce, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the parmesan cheese and cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil.
• Bake the lasagna for 20 minutes covered, then 20 minutes uncovered.

Notes

I used a 10-inch round casserole dish, but you can use a 9×13 or 9×9 – keep in mind that the larger the dish, the thinner the lasagna layers.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Still hungry for more recipes? Check out my spinach, ricotta and feta pie!

Q: What are you reading this summer?