Spinach and ricotta lasagne

  • Portion size: Serves 6-8
  • Hands-on time 45 min, oven time 30 min
  • Difficulty: easy

We’ve put a twist on the classic lasagne with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling. This vegetarian version is finished off with slices of mozzarella, creating an alluring, cheesy topping.

Spinach and ricotta is always a winning combination, and we’ve used it in our popular baked pasta shells recipe, too.

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Ingredients

  • 250g pack fresh lasagne sheets
  • 125g mozzarella, sliced
  • 30g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, grated

For the tomato sauce

  • Glug olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 150ml red wine
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetarian Worcester sauce (we like Biona, from Holland & Barrett and Ocado)
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • Bunch fresh basil, chopped

For the spinach and ricotta sauce

  • 375g spinach
  • Knob of butter
  • 500g ricotta
  • 250g mascarpone
  • 4 medium free-range egg yolks
  • Grated zest 1 lemon
  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 40g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, grated

You’ll also need:

  • 2 litre baking dish
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Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Heat the oil in a medium pan, then fry the onion for 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a minute, then add the red wine. Turn up the heat and bubble for 3-4 minutes to reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, sugar, Worcester sauce and tomato purée. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Add the basil and season.
  2. Meanwhile, put the spinach in a large pan with a knob of butter. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Drain in a colander, then wrap in a clean J-cloth and squeeze out any excess water. Roughly chop, then mix with the rest of the spinach/ricotta sauce ingredients. Taste and season.
  3. Spread a little of the spinach and ricotta sauce over the base of the baking dish, then cover with slightly overlapping lasagne sheets (see our short video on layering up a similar lasagne). Pour over a third of the remaining white sauce, sprinkle over a little of the grated cheese and top with half the tomato sauce. Cover with another layer of lasagne sheets, top with half the remaining white sauce, then all the remaining red sauce. Add the final layer of lasagne sheets, then spread with the rest of the white sauce. Scatter with the remaining grated cheese.
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  5. Top with the mozzarella slices, then the 30g parmesan and bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.If you’re feeling very organised, you could even try your hand at making your own fresh ricotta.

Nutrition

  • 416kcals Calories
  • 21.2g (11.4g saturated) Fat
  • 22.2g Protein
  • 29.2g (7.3g sugars) Carbs
  • 3g Fibre
  • 0.7g Salt

For 8

Make Ahead

Assemble the lasagne up to 24 hours ahead. Cool, cover and keep chilled. Or freeze, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen until golden on top and piping hot throughout (individual servings will take 40-45 minutes; a large dish will take around 1 hour).

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Reviews

Linda Moncur

So simple to make and the bonus is it’s delicious. A real hit with my husband who’s not really a ‘pasta lover’.

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