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Perfect Spinach Lasagna

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Description

There's little that can top lasagna when it comes to pure unadulterated comfort food. This delicious spinach lasagna recipe is a tried-and-true vegetarian version of the classic. Instead of meat, it has layers of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, your favorite purchased or homemade marinara sauce, lasagna noodles, and generous helping of spinach.

Ingredients

  • 12-14 lasagna noodles
  • 1 large egg
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and divided
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) grated parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 40 ounces (about 4 1/4 cups) spaghetti sauce or marinara, store-bought or homemade (from two 24-ounce jars)
  • 4 cups (1 pound) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Gather the ingredients.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or lasagna pan.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the ricotta cheese, half of the drained spinach, 1/2 cup of the grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and salt. Mix to blend well.
  5. In a separate large bowl, mix the remaining half of the drained spinach with the marinara sauce.
  6. Spread about 1 cup of the marinara-spinach mixture over the bottom of the baking dish, just enough to coat the bottom.
  7. Top with a layer of noodles. A 9x13-inch pan should fit 3 regular lasagna noodles lengthwise, but you can trim and tuck your noodles into the pan as needed depending on their size. Some overlap is ok.
  8. Top the noodle layer with about 1 cup of the marinara-spinach mixture and spread evenly over the noodles.
  9. With a small spoon, put about a third of the ricotta mixture over the sauce layer, spacing evenly in small dollops, then sprinkle with about a quarter of the mozzarella cheese.
  10. Repeat with two more layers of the noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.
  11. Top with another layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce, shredded mozzarella, and the remaining 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. 
  12. Grease a sheet of foil large enough to fit over the lasagna. Cover the lasagna tightly with the foil, greased side down. If your baking pan is very full, place a foil-lined baking sheet on a lower rack to catch spills. 
  13. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes, or until very hot and you can see it is beginning to bubble.
  14. Remove the foil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes longer, until very hot and the cheese has browned to your liking.