Lasagna Bolognese With Spinach Recipes

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden and softened, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps, until meat is no longer pink, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in wine, milk, tomato paste, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper.
• Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated but sauce is still moist, about 1 hour.
• Put spinach in a sieve and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
• Whisk together ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Transfer 1 1/2 cups ricotta mixture to another bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup milk; set aside.
• Whisk spinach into remaining filling with remaining 1/2 cup milk.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce in a baking pan and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp parmesan. Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space in between. Spread half of spinach filling on top, then 1 cup bolognese sauce, and top with 1 Tbsp parmesan and 3 noodles; repeat. Top with remaining bolognese sauce, 1 Tbsp parmesan, and remaining 3 noodles. Pour reserved ricotta mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.
• Cover pan tightly with parchment paper and foil (or just buttered foil) and bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.

PERFECT LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta; cook and stir until browned, about 8 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in beef and pork. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until evenly browned, about 20 minutes.
• Pour white wine into the Dutch oven; cook until alcohol evaporates, about 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer Bolognese sauce, stirring occasionally and skimming fat off the surface, about 3 1/2 hours. Stir in beef broth, 1/4 cup at a time, if sauce looks dry.
• Stir heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk into the Bolognese sauce; mix well. Cover and cook over very low heat until flavors combine, about 30 minutes.
• Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until a smooth paste forms; cook and stir until paste turns a golden sandy color, about 7 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk 4 cups milk into the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally until bechamel sauce is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and nutmeg; discard bay leaf.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
• Spread 1/4 cup bechamel sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with 1 lasagna sheet; prick in several places with a paring knife. Spread 1/2 cup bechamel sauce and 1/2 cup Bolognese sauce on top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese on top.
• Repeat layers 7 times with remaining lasagna sheets, bechamel sauce, Bolognese sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake lasagna in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 25 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until cheese is browned, about 20 minutes more. Let cool before serving, about 15 minutes.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE HOW VERSATILE THIS LASAGNA RECIPE IS

Steps:

• Make the bolognese sauce: Heat the oil in a 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook the pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are golden and softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the beef and pork, and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps, until the meat is no longer pink, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in the wine, milk, tomato paste, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated but the sauce is still moist, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Make ricotta filling: Put spinach in a kitchen towel (not terry cloth), and twist to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
• Whisk together the ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups ricotta mixture to another bowl, and whisk in 1/4 cup milk.
• Whisk the spinach and the remaining 1/2 cup milk into the remaining filling.
• Assemble and bake the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375°'F with the rack in the middle. Soak the noodles in a bowl of very warm water until pliable but not softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Place on a kitchen towel (it's not necessary to pat the noodles dry).
• Spread 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce in the baking pan, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parmesan. Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space in between. Spread half of the spinach filling on top, then 1 cup bolognese sauce, and top with 1 tablespoon parmesan and 3 noodles; repeat. Top with the remaining bolognese sauce, 1 tablespoon parmesan, and the remaining 3 noodles. Pour the reserved ricotta mixture over top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.
• Cover the pan tightly with parchment paper and foil (or just buttered foil), and bake 50 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake until the top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.

LASAGNA WITH BOLOGNESE, BECHAMEL, AND SPINACH (ADAPTED FROM MARIO BATALI)

Steps:

• 1. Heat olive oil and brown chopped pancetta in a large Dutch oven.
• 2. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.
• 3. In a separate skillet, brown meats one type at a time and add to onion mixture.
• 4. Add tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, milk, salt and pepper.
• 5. Bring to a boil.
• 6. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
• 7. Additional salt to taste.
• 1. Mix flour and semolina.
• 2. Pour flour on a large cutting board and form a bowl.
• 3. Mix eggs, chopped spinach, and olive oil.
• 4. Pour egg mixture into the bowl of flour.
• 5. Begin incorporating flour into egg mixture with your hands.
• 6. When flour and egg mixture are blended, knead dough for 2-3 minutes.
• 7. Cut dough into 4 equal portions and wrap in plastic wrap.
• 8. Take a portion of dough and flatten into a disk. Sprinkle with flour.
• 9. Feed the dough into the pasta maker attachment on the widest setting.
• 10. Fold the pasta into thirds (like a letter) and feed the dough through the pasta maker again.
• 11. Adjust the opening of the pasta maker to the next smaller setting and feed the dough through again.
• 12. Continue feeding the dough through, adjusting to a smaller setting each time, ending with a setting of 5.
• 14. Sprinkle the strip of dough with flour on both sides.
• 15. Cut the pasta into 5 inch strips.
• 13. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
• 14. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.
• 15. Drop 4 strips of pasta in boiling water.
• 16. Remove after two minutes, drop in ice bath, and place on dish towel to dry.
• 1. Melt butter in sauce pan.
• 2. Add flour and whisk until combined with butter.
• 3. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat whisking constantly.
• 4. Gradually add milk, continuing to whisk.
• 5. Add salt and nutmeg.
• 6. Continue to cook until thickened, whisking constantly.
• 7. Remove from heat and set aside.
• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• 2. In a 9"x13" inch baking dish, start by adding a layer of Bolognese to the dish.
• 3. Top Bolognese with grated Parmesan cheese.
• 4. Add a layer of pasta.
• 5. Top pasta with Bechamel.
• 6. Repeat layers in the same order, ended with Bechamel topped with Parmesan cheese.
• 7. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is browning and the sauce is bubbling.
• 8. Remove from oven and wait 15 minutes before slicing.

LASAGNE BOLOGNESE WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Make Sauce:
• Heat oil in a 12-to 14-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden and softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps, until meat is no longer pink, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in wine, milk, tomato paste, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated but sauce is still moist, about 1 hour.
• Make ricotta filling:
• Put spinach in a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and twist to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
• Whisk together ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 1 1/2 cups ricotta mixture to another bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup milk; set aside. Whisk spinach into remaining filling with remaining 1/2 cup milk.
• Assemble and bake lasagne:
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Soak noodles in a bowl of very warm water until pliable but not softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Place on a kitchen towel (it's not necessary to pat noodles dry).
• Spread 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce in baking pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parmesan. Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space in between. Spread half of spinach filling on top, then 1 cup bolognese sauce, and top with 1 tablespoon parmesan and 3 noodles; repeat. Top with remaining bolognese sauce, 1 tablespoon parmesan, and remaining 3 noodles. Pour reserved ricotta mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.
• Cover pan tightly with parchment paper and foil (or just buttered foil) and bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.

OLD SCHOOL LASAGNA WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Tomato Sauce:
• In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. When it turns light brown, add the thyme, bay leaf and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes, then taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Stir in the basil leaves and shut off the heat to allow the sauce to "rest."
• Pasta: Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add the salt and the lasagna sheets. Cook for 4 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. The pasta should still be very firm to the touch. Separate the sheets carefully so they don't stick together.
• Divide the tomato sauce in half and reserve half for the Bolognese and half for the lasagna.
• Assemble the lasagna:
• Spoon a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Arrange a layer of pasta sheets over the sauce. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella and Parmesan over the pasta and another thin layer of sauce. Repeat the layering process 2 more times. It is important there be remaining cheese and sauce for the top. Cook's Note: I love to get a corner piece from the pan and pick at the crispy edges of the top layer. When you finish, there should be 4 layers of pasta and 5 layers of filling.
• Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and put it in the center of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees F and remove the aluminum foil. Bake until the top browns slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes or so before serving.
• Make the Bolognese while the lasagna is baking:
• In a large wide pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the pieces. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Set the pot back over the heat and add a little more olive oil. Add carrots, onion and celery. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot, then add the reserved 1/2 recipe of tomato sauce. Cover slightly and simmer for 20 minutes.
• When done, finish with milk, taste, season and serve, spooned over the lasagna.

BEST VEGETARIAN LASAGNA BOLOGNESE (WITH SPINACH-RICOTTA & BéCHAMEL)

Steps:

• Use this recipe to prepare the vegan bolognese sauce. I recommend making it one day ahead, as it needs to cook low and slow for 3.5 hours. Plus, the flavors intensify in the fridge.
• For fresh spinach, heat a pan on low heat, add in a splash of olive oil, then wilt the spinach completely. Allow it to cool, then, with your hands, squeeze out the excess moisture. For frozen spinach, defrost it, then, with your hands, squeeze out the excess moisture.
• In a bowl, mix together the wilted spinach, ricotta cheese, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, an egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set the bowl aside.
• In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter completely, then whisk in the flour. Continue whisking vigorously for one minute to cook the flour. Add in a small splash of pre-warmed milk, and whisk. Continue whisking in the warm milk, a little at a time. If any lumps form, just keep whisking. The sauce should become thick. Bring the sauce to a low boil, and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the mozzarella cheese ans salt, allowing it to melt. Turn off the stove.
• First, preheat the oven to 395°F/200°C. Then, in your lasagna baking dish, add about 1/2 cup of bolognese sauce to the bottom of the pan, and spread it across to make a thin layer. Add a layer of pasta sheets. Smooth an even layer of the spinach-ricotta mixture atop the pasta sheets, about 1 to 1.5 cups. Then, smooth over an even layer of the bolognese sauce, about 1 to 1.5 cups. Sprinkle on an even layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Starting again with the lasagna sheets, repeat this pattern until the pan is almost full to the top, and you can barely fit another layer. After the last layer of pasta sheets go on, spread on another layer of bolognese sauce. Quickly re-whisk the béchamel sauce and pour it over the top of the bolognese sauce. Sprinkle on a bit more mozzarella.
• Cover the lasagna with a sheet of foil to retain moisture, but ensure the foil is not touching the béchamel sauce. Bake the lasagna on the middle rack of your oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until the pasta sheets are just cooked through. Remove the foil, turn your oven onto the broil setting (or the highest heat), and move the lasagna to the top rack. With a very watchful eye, allow the lasagna to bubble up and become golden-brown - with some darker brown spots too! If necessary, carefully turn the dish around to achieve an even broil across the top. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven, recover with foil (but ensure it's not touching the top layer), and allow it to cool and set for about 20-30 minutes before digging in!
• If desired, use a spoon to smooth over a drizzle of truffle oil and garnish with fresh parsley!

SPINACH LASAGNA (EASY NO-BOIL METHOD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In large skillet or stock pot, brown ground beef and onion; drain.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce. Simmer 10 minutes (to heat through), stirring occasionally.
• In medium bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, fresh or frozen spinach, ricotta cheese, eggs and garlic powder; stir until well blended.
• In 13-by-9-inch baking dish, layer 1/2 of the uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the meat mixture, all of the spinach mixture, remaining half of noodles and meat sauce. Pour the 1/3 cup of water over lasagna. Cover snugly with foil.
• Bake covered at 350 F for 45 minutes.
• Remove foil from lasagna; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly and noodles are tender.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yields 8 servings.
• Serve with a tossed salad, Mom's Onion Parmesan Bread #109257 and a nice bottle of red wine (such as Italian Chianti, Lambrusco, or Red Rose). Any leftovers are great reheated the next day.
• NOTE: Recipe can be made ahead; use a disposable aluminum pan and bake, freeze and reheat all in the same pan. Or, you can assemble the lasagna without baking it and then freeze it, baking it on the day it will be served.

{LASAGNE VERDE ALLA BOLOGNESE} CLASSIC BOLOGNESE-STYLE LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook The Lasagna Sheets: Trim the sheets of lasagna as needed so they fit into your lasagna dish. Bring a pasta pot filled with heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice water. Also keep a rimmed baking sheet and some olive oil nearby. Drop a few sheets of the pasta into the boiling water and let cook until they're bright green, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using tongs or a spider, remove the pasta sheets and plunge it into the ice water bath. Remove each lasagna sheet, spread it out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Repeat to cook all the lasagne.
• Assemble The Lasagne: Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Grease a baking dish or lasagna pan with room temperature butter. Have all the ingredients -- the ragù, bechamel sauce, grated Parmigiano Reggiano and the cooked pasta nearby.Spread 1 cup of the ragù and 1/3 cup of the bechamel on the bottom of the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it in a thin layer. Place a couple sheets of the lasagna on top so the pan is covered edge to edge (you don't need to overlap the pasta sheets). Spread 1 cup ragù, 1/3 cup bechamel, and also add in 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat so you make 6 layers. Garnish the top of the lasagna with the last of the bechamel and the last of the cheese.
• Bake The Lasagna: Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes on the middle rack until the cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes until the lasagna is browned on the edges and the cheese on top is golden brown.
• Rest The Lasagna: Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest at least 15 minutes (and up to 1 hour) before serving.