Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne

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This easy spinach and ricotta lasagne with tomato sauce is my favourite vegetarian lasagne.  Made with nutritious and wholesome ingredients, this is a dish the whole family will love!

I came up with this recipe because I was craving some spinach and ricotta cannelloni but was too lazy to go out to get some cannelloni pasta.  I figured, I had some lasagne pasta in my pantry, so why not make a spinach and ricotta lasagne instead?!

Why I love this recipe

Easy to make

Great for meal prep

Delicious

Ingredients you will need:

For the Spinach & Ricotta filling

Spinach I chop my spinach up into about 3 cm pieces. this makes it easier to handle.

Ricotta

Shredded cheese A mixture or one of the following cheeses will work great in this dish: Mozzarella, Colby, Chedder, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss

Egg Adding an egg helps to bind the filling, giving it a bit more body.

Garlic

Lemon zest

Thyme

Salt & pepper Use as much or as little as you’d like.

Other ingredients

Bechamel sauce We have an easy and tasty homemade bechamel sauce recipe. Click here to get it!

Tomato sauce I always use my homemade tomato sauce. I find that it is full of flavour and it is also great to know exactly what goes into my sauce (no added preservatives here!). However, if you are short on time, feel free to use some store bought sauce.

Oven ready lasagne pasta sheets It is not necessary to pre-cook lasagne pasta before assembling.  The lasagne has lots of sauce, and therefore lots moisture.  This, along with the high temperature in the oven, will help cook the lasagne sheets when in the oven.

Shredded cheese I find a mixture of tasty cheese and mozzarella cheese is great to sprinkle over the top of the lasagne.

Salt & pepper Use as much or as little as you’d like.

How to make Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne?

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a medium or large pot, boil the chopped spinach for about 8 minutes, or until cooked.  The spinach should become a bright green colour.  Drain in a colander, then wrap in a clean cheese cloth and squeeze out any excess water. 
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked spinach, ricotta, shredded cheese, egg, garlic, lemon zest, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. Spread a little of the pre-made homemade bechamel sauce over the base of a baking dish, then cover with lasagne sheets.  Cover the lasagne sheets with half of the spinach and ricotta filling, then pour over one third of the bechamel sauce.  Cover with another layer of lasagne sheets, top with the other half of the spinach and ricotta filling, then pour over another third of the bechamel sauce.  Cover with another layer of lasagne sheet.  Top the lasagne with the remaining bechamel sauce, then tomato sauce.  Scatter some extra shredded cheese over the top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.  

Delicious Variations

As this recipe is pretty versatile, sometime, I like to keep things interesting by adding different ingredients to this spinach and ricotta lasagne.  Here are some of my favourite variations:

• Pumpkin Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne  When layering your lasagne, add in a couple of layers of sliced pumpkin.  It will make this dish more heartier and filling.
• Beef Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne  Sautee 500g of ground beef in a frying pan, then add the homemade tomato sauce and stir until evenly distributed.  Now, follow the layering instructions in step 4.
• Chicken Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne  Similar to the beef spinach and ricotta lasagne variation, add in 500g of chicken instead. 

How to store this dish?

Once your lasagne has cooled, leave it in the pan and wrap snugly with plastic wrap.  This will keep the air from reaching the lasagne, preserving its flavour and texture.  Store it in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

You may also like…

• Bechamel Sauce
• Homemade Tomato Sauce (coming soon ~)
• Cheat Carbonara (coming soon ~)