Spinach Lasagna Bechamel

Submitted by nancyal

"This is from the new recipes from Moosewood Cookbook. I have not tried this, but am posting it to a request. I do not know how long to prepare, just guessed."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• Bechamel sauce

• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• salt and pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated is preferred (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil or 1/4 cup butter
• 2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
• 2 cups of chopped onions
• 2 lbs spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
• 3⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lb ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated (5 oz)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated (8 oz)
• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles

directions

1. Sauce: Heat the milk until very warm but do not bring to a boil.
2. In another pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Do not let the butter brown.
4. Whisk in flour and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Gradually add the hot milk.
6. Continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened.
7. add the freshly grated nutmeg if using.
8. Sauté the garlic and onions in the butter or oil until the onions are translucent.
9. Stir in the spinach and 1/2 cup of the parsley.
10. Add a little water if the spinach is dry.
11. Cook until the spinach wilts then remove it from the heat; set aside.
12. Mix the remaining parsley, ricotta, eggs and 2/3 of the parmesan cheese together.
13. You may cook the lasagna until al dente or don't cook them at all.
14. Moosewood does not cook theirs, they just layer the raw noodles in the pan.
15. Oil a large casserole or lasagna pan.
16. Layer the ingredients as follows: 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, 1/2 of the spinach, all the mozzarella, 1 1/2 to 2 cups sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, all the ricotta mixture left, all of the spinach left, 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the sauce,the remaining noodles, the rest of the sauce, sprinkling the remaining parmesan cheese on top.
17. Cover the casserole and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
18. Uncover the casserole and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
19. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Reviews

[jraeharris]

This is a classic Moosewood recipe that is amazing! Yes, it is labor intensive but yes, it is worth it!

 

[gin0731_11754109]

I haven't made it yet. I was wondering if anyone substituted something for the ricotta. I am not a fan.

 

[Courtney Cain]

DELICIOUS!!!!! Took me about an hour to get everything prepared and assembled, well worth it.

 

[bassbum2]

This was so delicious, does take a while to make but is well worth the time, it was wonderful...I put zuchinni,and mushrooms in it too,just cut down the amount of spinach when adding other veggies, sauteed them first... I also added some chicken base to the sauce and a little, oregano,thyme,nutmeg and vermouth...also added a little oregano,thyme, nutmeg and vermouth to the veggies too aafter i sauateed them...I used frozen spinach instead of fresh...

 

[Carol Kankelborg]

This recipe is straightforward to make, though it has quite a few steps, and it tastes delicious. It took me about 1.5 hours to prepare (not counting cooking time), but that's because I made several trips to the garden to pick the spinach, onions, and parsley and I grated my own cheeses. Preparing the spinach and cheeses the day before would have made it go much faster. The recipe is slightly too large for a 9x13 pyrex pan. I left some of the sauce out to make it fit. I did not cook the noodles and they turned out fine. Next time I plan on scaling back the sauce, ricotta mixture and spinach mixtures so it will fit in my pan. I served it with beets, garlic bread, and a carrot/daikon radish salad which made for a very colorful meal.