Cheesy spinach lasagne

And finally I present to you my cheesy spinach lasagne.

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Because I was at the chalet when I made this, I didn’t have the luxury of a fully-stocked supermarket close by so I made do with what was already available. I usually make this lasagne with ricotta cheese but that was not available so I used Philadelphia cream cheese which was still good but I highly recommend using ricotta cheese.

Making lasagne is quite easy and versatile. You don’t really need to follow a recipe or specific quantities, well only for the bechamel sauce. I make my lasagne with just different kinds of cheese and tomato sauce, with spinach and cheese and the traditional meat lasagne. You can even invent your own fillings!

When it’s time to assemble your lasagne make sure you have everything ready.

spinach and cheese filling, baking dish, bechamel sauce and sheets of dried lasagne

spinach and cheese filling, baking dish, bechamel sauce and sheets of dried lasagne

To make the spinach and cheese filling, I used frozen chopped spinach and put it directly in a saucepan on high heat to thaw and wait until all the liquid evaporates. Then season with some salt and pepper and I like to add some nutmeg. Take it off the heat and leave it to cool to room temperature. Then add the cream cheese. For two packets of frozen spinach, I use two ricotta pots or two Philadelphia cream cheese pots. Mix the spinach with the cheese well.

spinach with cheese filling

spinach with cheese filling

Next, prepare the bechamel sauce. I always make extra quantities just in case. To make the bechamel sauce, heat together 3 tablespoons butter with 3 tablespoons flour until melted. Add 2 cups of full cream milk. Mix together until the mixture becomes thick. Double the quantity if you are using a big dish. I doubled it for the dish I used.

bechamel sauce with dried lasagne sheets

bechamel sauce with dried lasagne sheets

To assemble, first cover the bottom of the baking dish with a ladle or two of bechamel sauce

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Place a layer of pasta sheets in one direction then a layer of spinach and cheese filling.

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Add another layer of pasta sheets in a different direction, bechamel sauce then more spinach and cheese filling.

add a layer of pasta sheets in a different direction

add a layer of pasta sheets in a different direction

adding the spinach and cheese filling

adding the spinach and cheese filling

Repeat layers, alternating the direction of the pasta sheets, until you finished all your filling and sauce and/or the dish is full. The last layer should be bechamel sauce. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 190-200 degrees Celsius.

top with bechamel sauce

top with bechamel sauce

If you would like the top to be golden, brush the top of the lasagne with a beaten egg.

brush (or in this case spoon) 1 beaten egg

brush (or in this case spoon) 1 beaten egg

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes and then enjoy!

out of the oven

out of the oven

**I’m going to Berlin tonight and will be staying there for the entire week. So no posting until next week…

6 thoughts on “Cheesy spinach lasagne

  1. The best substitute for ricotta is cottage cheese, which is always available at any co-op. Both cheeses have the same consistency and are very low in salt. Next time try that!

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