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Christmas dinner includes lasagna in our family. It can be traditional or meat sauced or veggie filled. This year it is white lasagna with spinach. One of our favorites and it melts in your mouth. For a holiday effect, decorate the top just before serving with chopped fresh tomato and chopped parsley.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all my readers. Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Spinach Lasagna

For the white sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
Salt & Pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat. Stir in flour and cook the roux, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add milk in a steady stream and bring mixture to a boil, whisking until thick and smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer sauce over low heat, whisking occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes, or until thickened. Transfer sauce to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap.

Cheese Filling

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Ingredients

32 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1-10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Lasagna

1 lb.mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
White sauce, recipe above
12 parboiled spinach or plain lasagna noodles, fresh noodles if possible are best

Directions

Mix the ricotta with the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Completing the Lasagna

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.

Spread about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish and place a layer of noodles on top.

Spread one-third of the sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta and then one-third of the ricotta cheese mixture over the mozzarella; top with another 1 cup of sauce.

Repeat the layers twice, then top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of sauce over the top layer of pasta.

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Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle the top with extra parsley for added color.


Posted by in bechamel, Cheese, Healthy Italian Cooking, lasagna, Pasta, Sauces, spinach Tags: