{{ :recipes:spinachlasagna-33.jpg?direct&200|}} ====== Spinach & Tomato Lasagna ====== /* Description */ To make a spinach lasagna worthy of its name, the first step was simple: increase the spinach. Frozen spinach tastes just as good as fresh and cuts down on kitchen time as well. For the finest, most even texture, we use the food processor to chop the spinach and to smooth out the ricotta cheese. The final secret for extra spinach flavor is using some of the spinach liquid but not enough to make the lasagna watery. We nixed the traditional creamy béchamel in favor of a fresh, herb-flecked tomato sauce but still layered in plenty of mozzarella and Parmesan for added richness. {(rater>id=100|name=Spinach Tomato Lasagna|type=rate|headline=off)} |**Preheat:** 375°|**Yield:** 8-10 servings|| |**Prep:** 0:45|**Cool:** 0:30|**Cook:** 0:45| ====== Ingredients ====== * 30 ounces frozen chopped spinach * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 1 onion chopped fine * 5 garlic cloves minced * 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes * 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes * Salt and pepper * 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil * 24 ounces (3 cups) whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese * 3 ounces (1½ cups) parmesan cheese grated * 2 large eggs * 12 no-boil lasagna noodles * 12 ounces (3 cups) whole-milk mozzarella cheese shredded ====== Directions ====== - Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Microwave spinach in covered large bowl until completely thawed, about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Squeeze spinach dry, reserving 1/3 cup liquid. Pulse spinach in food processor until ground, 8 to 10 pulses, scraping down bowl every few pulses. Wipe out large bowl with paper towels. Transfer spinach to now empty bowl; set aside. - Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup processed spinach, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook - until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 3 tablespoons basil; set aside. - Process ricotta and reserved spinach liquid in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add Parmesan, remaining 3 tablespoons basil, eggs, 11/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and process until combined. Stir ricotta mixture into remaining processed spinach. - Cover bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 1 ¼ cups sauce. Top with 3 noodles and spread one-third of ricotta mixture evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup mozzarella and cover with 1¼ cups sauce. Repeat twice, beginning with noodles and ending with sauce. Top with - remaining 3 noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella. - Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable oil spray and bake until bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Discard foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. ====== Notes ====== Our favorite lasagna noodles are Barilla No Boil. You can thaw the spinach overnight in the refrigerator instead of microwaving it. But do warm the spinach liquid to help smooth the ricotta. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2314625 /* Nutrition block - remove the slash-asterisk and asterisk-slash from just above and below the following block */ /* ====== Nutrition ====== |Calories (kcal): ||Fat Calories (kcal): |Cholesterol (mg): | |Fat (g): |Saturated Fat (g): |Mono Fat (g): |Poly Fat (g): | |Protein (g): |Carbohydrates (g): |Sodium (mg): |Fiber (g): | */ {{tag>Recipes Casserole European/Italian AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry }} /* Recipe Tags - Copy and paste tags from the list below to the tag list in the above line, replacing the "TagsNeeded" tag and separated by spaces. */ /* ---Recipe Types--- Appetizer Beverage Beverage/Cocktail Bread Bread/Muffin Bread/Quickbread Brines-Marinades-Rubs Breakfast Casserole European/Italian AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry Canning-Freezing Condiment CrockPot Dessert/Bar-Brownie Dessert/Cake Dessert/Cake/Frosting Dessert/Candy-Chocolate Dessert/Crisp-Buckle Dessert/Cookie Dessert/Custard-Curd Dessert/IceCream Dessert/IceCream/Topping Dessert/Pie Dip-Spread Entertaining Grilling-BBQ Holiday Kid-Friendly MainDish MainDish/Beef MainDish/Poultry MainDish/Pork MainDish/Seafood Pasta Pizza Roast Salad Salad/Dressing Sandwich Seasoning Side Snack Soup Stew-Braise Stir-Fry Vegetarian ---Recipe Cuisines--- American American/Cajun-Creole American/Southern American/TexMex Asian Asian/Chinese Asian/Indian Asian/Japanese Asian/Korean Asian/Thai Asian/Vietnamese European European/Belgian European/Czech European/Dutch European/English European/French European/German European/Greek European/Polish European/Irish European/Italian AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry European/Portuguese European/Russian European/Scandinavian European/Spanish European/Swiss Latin Latin/Brazilian Latin/Mexican MiddleEastern MiddleEastern/Ethiopian MiddleEastern/Jewish MiddleEastern/Lebanese ---Recipe Sources--- 365Recipes 365Recipes/Grilling 365Recipes/Chicken 365Recipes/Pasta AmericasTestKitchen AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry AmericasTestKitchen/CooksIllustrated BetterHomesGarden Bon Appetit Chowhound FineCooking FoodWine GoodEats Gourmet HDawson AMarcos DMarcos JMarcos KMarcos JPhalen ---Recipe Ratings--- 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1★ No★ ---Recipe Alerts--- RecipeNeeded RecipeIncomplete RecipeWrong RecipeFails TagsNeeded */ ~~DISCUSSION~~