Spinach and ricotta lasagna
95 min · 24 g protein · 341 cals / serving
A vegetarian lasagna with real depth: a chunky mushroom and zucchini tomato sauce, a thick green layer of spinach, ricotta and cottage cheese with a little nutmeg, and a bubbling mozzarella and parmesan top. It slices cleanly after a short rest and tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
Mushroom sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb 2 oz crimini mushroom, chopped
- 1 large zucchini, diced small
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cans (14 oz each) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Spinach and ricotta
- 1 lb 2 oz spinach, or 400 g (14 oz) frozen, thawed
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (1%)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan, divided; or a vegetarian hard cheese (traditional parmesan uses animal rennet)
- 12 sheets (6 1/2 oz) pasta, no-boil lasagna sheets
- 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, then add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook, stirring now and then, for 8–10 minutes until their liquid has cooked away and they start to brown. Add the garlic for the last minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste for a minute, then the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes until thick enough to hold a line when you drag a spoon through it.
- Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a dry pan (or squeeze the thawed frozen spinach), let it cool a little and squeeze out as much water as you can, then chop it. Mix it with the ricotta, cottage cheese, egg, nutmeg and half the parmesan.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. In a 23×33 cm (9×13-inch) dish spread a thin layer of sauce, then layer sheets, spinach mixture and sauce three times, finishing with sauce. Scatter the mozzarella and the rest of the parmesan over the top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15–20 minutes more until the top is golden and the edges bubble and a knife slides through the pasta. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Good to know
Why squeeze the spinach so hard?
Spinach is mostly water. Whatever you leave in it leaks out in the oven and makes the lasagna loose, so wring it in a clean towel until it stops dripping.
Can I use regular lasagna sheets?
Yes. Boil them for half the packet time first, or the top layer can stay firm. No-boil sheets soak up the sauce as they bake, which is why the sauce here is on the loose side when it goes in.
Does it freeze?
Very well, whole or in portions, for up to three months. Reheat covered at 350°F until hot in the middle.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 107
- Protein
- (29%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (31%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (40%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 309 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2730 kcal goes into the pot and 3313 g of ingredients comes out as about 2550 g of food: 107 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.