For ultra-defined layers, bake this deep dish lasagne a day ahead. After chilling it will slice easily, and still hold its shape when reheated. Rich and cheesy, this is best served in small portions with a tomato, red onion and rocket salad, drizzled with sweet-sharp balsamic vinegar
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
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Ingredients
125g butter, plus extra to grease
500g leeks, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
600g baby leaf spinach
generous grating of nutmeg (from a whole nutmeg)
100g plain flour
700ml milk
75g Parmesan, grated*
1 x 250g tub ricotta*
10 fresh egg lasagne sheets
250g feta*, crumbled
15g pine nuts
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Step by step
Get ahead
Best made the day before, cooled and chilled (or frozen in portions). See step 7 for reheating.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Fully line a loose-based 20cm square cake tin with a double layer of foil and grease with a little butter. Cut 2 long strips of baking paper, 20cm wide, and lay them in the tin crossways, with the excess extending over the sides.
Melt 25g of the butter in your largest saucepan. Cook the leeks and garlic with a pinch of salt over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the spinach (in batches if necessary), cover and leave to wilt for 5 minutes. Stir to combine, season with nutmeg and black pepper and tip into a colander over a large bowl to drain.
Melt the remaining 100g butter in a large pan. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk. Cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat and whisk in two-thirds of the Parmesan, followed by the ricotta, until smooth. Season to taste and spoon out 2 ladlefuls of the sauce to reserve for the top of the lasagne. Stir the drained spinach and leek mixture into the sauce left in the pan.
Put the lasagne sheets in a heatproof dish, cover with boiling water from the kettle and leave to soften for 1 minute then lift out to a board. Cut the sheets to size so that they will fit neatly into the prepared tin.
Spread a thin layer of the spinach sauce (about one-eighth) in the base of the prepared tin. Scatter with a small handful of feta, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat these three layers, seven more times, finishing with lasagne sheets. Spread over the reserved white sauce, then scatter with the remaining Parmesan and the pine nuts.
Sit the tin on an oven tray; bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Rest for 15 minutes and serve, or see our Get Ahead tip above.
To reheat, preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Push the lasagne out of the tin from the base and cut into 9 squares. Place the desired number of squares in a large ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes until piping hot. Uncover and bake for a further 5 minutes to crisp up the top. Any other squares can be frozen for another time, then defrosted before reheating.
*Use vegetarian cheese if required
Serve with
Courgette and radish ribbon salad with basil dressing Roasted squash, olive, avocado and rocket salad Balsamic courgette, pine nuts and Parmesan salad
The fresh spinach will add a lighter, delicate flavor and a firmer texture, while the frozen spinach will add a more concentrated flavor and a softer texture. Ultimately, whether to use fresh or frozen spinach or a combination of both depends on personal preference and the desired flavor and texture of the dish.
Feta cheese is an excellent substitute for ricotta in recipes where you want a more pronounced and salty flavor. Feta's tangy flavor can work well in savory dishes like lasagna, stuffed peppers, or pasta sauces.
Spinach lasagna may be watery if the spinach releases excess moisture during baking. To prevent this, use pre-cooked or well-drained spinach. Additionally, avoid overloading the lasagna with too much sauce, and allow it to rest after baking to firm up.
Squeeze the spinach—To prevent a watery lasagna, make sure to squeeze the spinach well. Place it in a colander or strainer over the sink and squeeze the spinach with your hands or press down on it with a spatula.
I like using béchamel sauce instead of ricotta because it holds the mouthwatering lasagna layers together and gives the dish an overall creamy texture. Using béchamel is also the authentic Italian way to make lasagna.
Ricotta is higher in calories — about 180 calories for half a cup — but is loaded with calcium. “While high in sodium, feta tends to be one of the lowest in calories. Plus, with its strong flavor, you often use less of it than other cheeses,” says Kelli McGrane, a registered dietitian with the weight-loss app Lose It!
For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny.
Too much between one layer and another will keep you from ever getting a perfect slice. Too little and all you'll taste is pasta. Do not put large pieces of vegetables or meat in lasagna for the same reason as above. To get a perfect lasagna, the filling should be finely sliced or even creamy.
A good tomato paste helps to thicken but also adds a sweet and savory umami flavor. Lean Ground Beef: Lean beef adds a robust and hearty meatiness that's essential in a classic lasagna recipe.
If your lasagna is falling apart it could be because, it is to hot. Let it sit about 5 mins after you pull it out of the oven. Also your sauce could be to thin, if your sauce is watery it will cause your lasagna to not cut properly. Thicken it up by letting it reduce, adding less water or adding a bit of tomato paste.
Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!
In recipes that require cooking, compact frozen spinach may be easier to handle than fresh spinach leaves that cook down significantly. If you cook regularly, having both types of spinach on hand allows you to choose which form you prefer for a given dish.
You can save time by using well-drained thawed spinach instead of blanching fresh spinach. These are of course just a few ideas — you could also add frozen spinach to smoothies, sauces, and other blended foods, or bake it into savory muffins, or use it in a whole host of other recipes.
Frozen spinach is mechanically chopped, boiled or blanched, and then flash frozen. A single ten ounce package of frozen spinach usually equals one cup of greens once it's thawed and drained. To get that same cup with fresh spinach, you'd have to cook down about a full pound.
Frozen spinach is picked when nutrient levels are at their highest. AS frozen vegetables are picked when nutrient levels are at their highest and frozen rapidly, nutrients which might be lost as it sits in the supermarket tend to be preserved for longer.
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Prep time: 1 hr
