I recently made this lasagna at a family gathering and it received rave reviews. While nothing terribly special, this home cooked layered fan favorite offers a layer of spinach and ricotta as well as a bechamel sauce on the top that combines with loads of cheese to form a soft yet golden brown topping.
Slow cooking the sauce is key and it would probably benefit from a few hours in the crock pot for those of you who like that method of cooking. Just brown off the beef first then throw it in the crock, set it and forget it. The lasagna ‘could’ be assembled and baked on a weeknight if you had everything set and ready to go.
Please, if you love lasagna, do NOT use the ‘no boil’ noodles. These noodles are … well… just gross. But that’s only this chef’s opinion.
The sauce, bechamel and noodles can all be prepared ahead of time. If the sauce is cold when you assemble the dish allow about 15 minutes more heating time in the oven.
Lasagna Supreme
1 9 x 13 oven safe dish, about 3 inches thick
12 lasagna noodles
1lb lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can plain Jane tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste (freeze the rest in a baggie)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp each dried oregano, dried basil, dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
16 ounce ricotta cheese (low fat is just fine, but NOT fat free)
12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (again low fat/part skim is OK)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Bechamel Sauce, recipe follows
1. Cook the lasagna noodles until tender but still on the firm side. They’ll keep cooking in the oven, don’t worry.
2. For the sauce, brown the beef and drain of fat. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the herbs and cook for 1 minute more. Put the beef and onion into a large pot (or crock pot) and add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and allow to barely simmer for about 2 hours (4-5 in a crock pot). Season with salt and pepper if needed.
3. Combine the ricotta with the spinach and garlic powder. Add salt to taste.
4. To assemble: place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of your pan and line with 3 noodles.
Top with a layer of sauce thick enough so you don’t see any noodle showing through.
Top with 3 noodles.
Top with the ricotta spinach mixture spread as evenly as you can.
Top with 3 noodles.
Top with a layer of sauce, thick enough to see no noodle showing through.
Top with 3 noodles.
Add the bechamel sauce, then mozarella cheese and any parmesan you might have lurking in your fridge.
5. Bake covered at 350 for about an hour, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes or so to let it brown up. Hint: turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to get a nice bubbly brown. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Bechamel Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
salt and pepper to taste
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Turn off the heat. Add the flour and using a whisk stir until combined. Turn the heat back on to medium and cook the paste until it starts to bubble around the edges and starts smelling nutty. Do NOT let it brown. This takes just a few minutes.
2. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the hot milk in a slow stream, while whisking. Once all the milk is in turn the heat back to medium and continue whisking until thick and bubbly. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes while stirring.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
