Spinach Lasagna satisfies. Well, of course it does – it’s lasagna! One of the most crave-worthy dishes that my mother never made. Lasagna, oh lasagna. Pasta and cheese, and if I was lucky, a meaty, hearty sauce that someone else’s mother just knew I’d love.
Then I went off to college and became a vegetarian for a bit. My fling with vegetarianism didn’t last long, but by then I was also minding to my girlish figure. I was learning to cook, exploring new things, learning as much as I could from my roommates and, of course, the Moosewood Cookbook. That was when I first heard of spinach lasagna, but I didn’t try making it. Too heavy, I thought.
It was many more years until I first made lasagna. At one point in my forties I remember making a butternut squash and creamed spinach casserole that may or may not have included lasagna noodles. More time passed, and I finally began making what I thought of as real lasagna – the one from my childhood, a labor of love. That didn’t last for long. Ron learned that he was gluten-intolerant and became increasingly focused on incorporating as much veg into our diets as possible. Then this happened – our own Spinach Lasagna, using gluten-free noodles!
Spinach Lasagna
Equipment
- 9 X 13 baking dish or lasagna pan
Ingredients
LASAGNA
- 12 no-boil, gluten-free lasagna noodles (I use Barilla)
- 12 ounces spinach
- 12 ounces mozzarella
WHITE SAUCE
- 8 ounces butter
- ½ cup gluten-free AP flour
- 4 cups milk
- 3 cloves garlic
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 t salt
- 1 t pepper
FINISHING
- fresh parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray your baking dish with olive oil.
- Make the sauce – Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the paste begins to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the milk, oh so slowly, until it's fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3-4 more minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper, cottage cheese, and Parmesan, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.
- Assemble the lasagna – To begin, spread a thin lay of sauce in the bottom of your baking dish, then 4 of the lasagna noodles. To finish this layer, spread ⅓ of the remaining sauce, half of the spinach, and a layer of mozzarella cheese. For the second layer, spread 4 of the lasagna noodles, ½ of the remaining sauce, the rest of the spinach, and more mozzarella cheese. To finish, top with the rest of the noodles, the rest of the sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover and bake – Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour, undisturbed.
- Finish – After 1 hour, remove from oven. Take off the foil and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and bake 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown on top.
- Rest, then serve – Remove lasagna from oven and allow it to rest and cool for 15 minutes before serving. This helps the lasagna set up, making it easier to slice. While the lasagna is resting, chop some parsley for garnish. Garnish and serve.
INGREDIENT NOTES:
I have tried making sourdough lasagna noodles from scratch, but it’s so difficult to get the sheets of pasta thin enough to strike that perfect balance between pasta and veg in a lasagna. My Sourdough Pasta puffs when you cook it, so it’s application is limited in my kitchen. However, Spinach Lasagna made with Barilla gluten-free No-Boil Lasagna noodles is just right.
This is a white lasagna, meaning that there are no tomatoes. It may be surprising to you that I’ve also eschewed ricotta cheese, which is traditional. It’s a matter of taste and texture. I love the milky flavor and body of cottage cheese. If you do use ricotta instead, please use Fresh Ricotta. The prepackaged stuff just mutes everything else.
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