Sorry to interrupt the production of biscuits, but we all need to eat dinner do not we? For my part I'm dying comfortable, hearty dinners to balance holiday confections, this lasagna was so perfect last weekend. Something about the cheese sauce from scratch white, thickness, creamy filling of spinach, and noodles layers is just what I was dying lately. (And it's a great way to sneak some green vegetables in the diet of Hugo, so I can not complain!)
This lasagna is truly spectacular. It's pretty easy to do, and gives a huge pan that lasted for 3 meals our family. I loved with great citrus salad on the side. Spinach are sauteed with onions and garlic, mixed with a mixture of creamy ricotta, and layered with sauce more decadent cheese filled with mozzarella and gruyere. I highly recommend getting the best cheeses you can, as the flavors really stand out and good cheese makes all the difference. Have fun!
- for spinach:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, chopped (about ½ cup )
- 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lbs frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- For ricotta:
- 2 pounds of cheese ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg coffee freshly grated
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more or less if you want a kick or not)
- for the white sauce:
- 5 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of flour
- 5 cups whole milk
- 12 ounces of grated low mozzarella moisture cheese
- 12 ounces grated cheese gruyere
- For the Assembly:
- 16-20 uncooked lasagna
- in a large saucepan (I like to use my large 5 qt Dutch oven just to have a lot of space.) melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add garlic and onion and sauté until golden. Add the spinach and stir for a few minutes to marry the flavors. Turn off heat and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add half the ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Process for a few minutes until blended and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. (Do not wipe the food processor on.)
- For the robot add the spinach mixture / garlic and blend until finely chopped. Add in the bowl with the ricotta mixture, and the rest of the ricotta. Stir until blended and smooth
- In a large saucepan (I want to erase the Dutch oven a bit and use that again) melt 5 tablespoons butter and add the whisking constantly until farine- browned. Add milk gradually, over a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When thick and bubbly, add ¾ ¾ mozzarella and gruyere. Add salt and pepper to taste
- In a saucepan 9x13 lasagna, start with the distribution of a small amount of white sauce on the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of noodles (I used 4 over for each layer) ⅓ Spread spinach mixture on top of noodles, followed by ¼ of the sauce. Repeat 3 times, spinach- noodles- sauce. Lead with a fourth layer of noodles, the last quarter of the sauce and remaining cheese.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly