Lasagna With Spinach And Basil Sauce Food

SIMPLE SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large pot over medium heat saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.
• Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 4 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce. Add 4 more noodles and layer with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.
• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 55 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH-BASIL LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Mix first 7 ingredients., Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, 3/4 cup ricotta mixture, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese., Bake, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until lasagna is heated through and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. , Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked lasagna. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake lasagna as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water; drain well., In a large bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, egg white, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, pepper and nutmeg. Combine mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese., In a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer three noodles, 3/4 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup spinach mixture and 3/4 cup cheese mixture. Repeat layers three times., Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• PREPARE SPINACH AND BASIL TOMATO SAUCE: Brown beef in large stock pot until brown. While beef is browning, dice onion and mince garlic. Then drain beef in a colander to remove grease. Put diced onions and minced garlic into pot on simmer. Allow to simmer until onions are translucent, keeping careful not to burn. Then pour in ground beef, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir well. Introduce herbs and sugar to pot. Measurements are approximate. Taste sauce to adjust. Add spinach after thawing. Allow sauce to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Set aside.
• PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Boil lasagna noodles for 10 minutes and then strain. Beat one egg and then combine with cottage cheese.
• LAYER an even layer of sauce onto bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Then layer with an even covering of cottage cheese mixture. Then sprinkle with Italian cheese. Repeat 1-2 times, ending with a layer of cheese.
• BAKE for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Let stand before serving.

SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in a saucepot and add the butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crush them up a bit. Add the passata, a fat handful of torn basil leaves, the onion and some salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the onion and set the sauce aside.
• Separate the spinach while adding it to a mixing bowl. Add half of the mozzarella, the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the eggs yolks and mix to combine. Season with grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Layer a little sauce into a lasagna pan and top with three flat lasagna sheets or four curly. Top with a little more sauce, and then half of the spinach and cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer, and end on top with lasagna sheets. Top with some sauce and the remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• The lasagna can be stored before or after baking for a make-ahead meal, or baked to serve immediately. When baking the first time, bake at 375 degrees F, uncovered, from room temperature until cooked through and brown and bubbling on top, 60 to 70 minutes. If reheating, bake at 375 degrees F, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Let the lasagna rest 20 minutes before cutting. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

TRADITIONAL ITALIAN SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Saute the onions and garlic in a heavy iron pot in olive oil, until translucent, then remove from pot, and set aside.
• Put sausage in pot with ground fennel and brown.
• Add basil, oregano, and parsley.
• Stir in onions and garlic, as well as tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste.
• Let simmer gently about 2-3 hours.
• Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions, and hang to dry.
• Beat together eggs, ricotta and parmesan cheese, set aside.
• Build lasanga:.
• Barely cover bottom of large, deep lasagna pan with sauce.
• Place a layer of noodles lengthwise over sauce.
• Place all of spinach over noodles.
• Cover this with a layer of noodles shortwise.
• Spread ricotta cheese mixture over noodles, and cover this with a lengthwise layer of noodles.
• Put one half of remaining sauce over noodles and cover with shortwise noodles.
• place mozzerella cheese over noodles into a somewhat solid sheet and cover with lengthwise noodles.
• Pour remaining sauce over top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly.
• Grate hard cheese over top as soon as you pull it from the oven.
• Serve with Italian bread and a salad.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Drain the ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl for 1 hour (or longer if the ricotta is very wet). If using fresh spinach, stem and rinse it well (don't dry the leaves). In a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, cook the spinach until wilted (3 to 5 minutes). Drain well and squeee out excess moisture and chop finely. If using thawed frozen spinach, squeeze it dry.
• Melt the butter in a 10 inch or 12 inch skillet over medim-low heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and toss it for 1 to 2 minutes to coat it with the butter. Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Add the ricotta, Parmigiano, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well. You should have about 4 1/2 cups.
• Cook the noodles: If using dried lasagna noodles instead of fresh use 1 lb and skip these cooking instructions--cook according to package instructions. If cooking fresh: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Slip the noodles, 2 or 3 at a time, into the boiling water and cook them until they're tender and pale (3 to 5 minutes). Thinner noodles will cook more frequently. To make sure they're done, taste a small piece. If it's still tough, it needs a little more cooking (fresh pasta should not be cooked al dente like dried pasta). Carefully scoop the noodles out of the pot with a large wire skimmer and slide them into the ice water to stop the cooking. When they're cool, layer them between clean dish towels until you're ready to assemble the lasagna (the noodles will keep this way for up to 2 hours).
• Make the Quick Tomato Sauce: In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, parsley, basil, a generous pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables are pale gold (10 to 12 minutes). Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stir well, and simmer gently to blend the flavors and reduce the sauce to about 4 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes (adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer). Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a smoother texture, pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor.
• Make the Basic Cream Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the mixture brown. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and bring just to a simmer, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened to a creamy, gravy-like consistency and no longer tastes of raw flour, 6 to 8 minutes for a single batch, 10 to 12 minutes for a double batch (you only need 1 batch for this recipe). Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If you don't use this sauce within 30 minutes it will thicken. Add a little warm milk and whisk to the sauce to thin it if necessary.
• Assemble the lasagna: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Choose a 9x12x3 inch baking dish or 10x14x2 inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a sparse layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of cooked noodles, cutting them as needed to fill the gaps. With a spatula, spread one third of the spinach and ricotta filling (about 1 1/2 cups) over the first layer of noodles. Then spread one third of the remaining tomato sauce (about 1 1/3 cups) and one third (1/2 cup) of the cream sauce over the filling. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano on top. Add a new layer of noodles, overlapping them slightly, and repeat the layers as instructed above, using all of the filling and ending with the Parmigiano, to make a total of 3 layers (you may not need all the pasta). Dot the top with the butter cubes.
• Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until heated through and bubbling at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

BASIL LASAGNA

Steps:

• Notes: I purchase store bought fresh pasta. For the Roasted Tomato Sauce the ingredients are listed from the tomatoes line. Having extra sauce on hands is suggested, when cooking with fresh pasta it dries out and gets chewy. I double the sauce recipe. Do not over-bake this recipe. Due to the cheese it will burn and get chewy.
• Variation: Add garlic to taste to the sauce, roasting it with the tomatoes is good. I also tried this with 1 pound of browned lean ground beef. I added a can of tomato sauce until the sauce was the right consistency to cover the lasagna with.
• For the filling stir together the cheeses, basil, oregano, thawed and completely drained spinach, black pepper to taste.
• Set aside filling.
• For the roasted tomato sauce preheat oven to 350.
• In a large roasting pan add all ingredients and bake for 1 hour until skins are slightly charred.
• Once cooled, blend quickly in a blender to coarsely chop (30 seconds).
• Cover and chill until ready to use.
• Place about 2/3 cup of the cheese filling on each pasta sheet.
• Spread evenly leaving a one inch border along the sides.
• Fold the two long sides over edges of filling, then with sides in place, roll up to form a packet that encases the filling.
• Place filled packets in a shallow casserole dish.
• Top each with 1/2 cup or more of sauce to cover the packet.
• Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly (at 350 degrees I bake for 20-25 minutes) or lower oven temperature to 300 for 30 minutes.