The Best Spinach Lasagna Recipe

The Best Spinach Lasagna Recipe

Nys Aqyla    9/14/2022   

 

In this recipe

• The best way to prepare spinach
• How to Get the Best Cheese Spinach Lasagna
• Make noodles a star with fresh lasagna
• Assemble your lasagna
• For best texture, let lasagna rest before serving
  

why does it work?

• Sautéing spinach instead of blanching or microwaving it improves the flavor, while chopping allows you to incorporate it evenly into each bite.
• A blend of lightly processed ricotta and ricotta not found in a food processor gives lasagna a creamy flavor while preserving the classic mini ricotta curd in the finished dish. .
• Stacks and piles of fresh noodles make this dish a noodle dish, not just a topping.

I'm not really a sleeper. No matter how often I try and no matter what method I use, I still can't get into bed and fall asleep for four or five hours before I have to wake up. For a while, this worried me (and especially my wife), but honestly, I didn't get tired and I really appreciated the extra four hours I got to myself.

What keeps me from sleeping late at night? Granted, sometimes it's ridiculous things like The Walking Dead or Reddit or undressing my stupid dog after he got his face sprayed with blood at 2am. But most of the time, I'm cooking. Sure, I cook for work, and I do it most of the day, but I also cook to relax, and for me there's nothing more relaxing or therapeutic than carefully preparing lasagna. . Whether it's the traditional Bolognese, creamy mushrooms or Brussels sprouts, or the rich and hearty squash lasagna.

My wife told me I had to learn to relax. I think I manage very well.

I find joy in making each topping separately and balancing their flavors. The joy of spreading thin layers of pastry with just the right amount of filling to cover. I sit in front of the oven, face to the glass as the lasagna transforms from layered pasta into an irresistible, golden casserole.

 

Today we are going to look at another classic. Cream cheese and spinach lasagna flavored with a hint of nutmeg and a combination of besciamella (Italian for "white sauce") and fresh ricotta. And while I usually opt for the ease and convenience of no-boiled lasagna, today we're going with store-bought fresh noodles. There are some small but significant differences in how fresh noodles are handled.

Let's dive right into the depths of this creamy-rich pool, shall we?

The best way to prepare spinach

This is a spinach lasagna, so we want the flavor of spinach to be front and center. I have tried many different types of spinach over the years, including fresh flat leaf, curly leaf, and young leaf variety, and I find that you get the best flavor and texture with flat leaf or curly leaf spinach. fresh. They don't have the mushy, mushy texture of cooked baby spinach (plus they're cheaper), and they taste significantly better than frozen spinach, which can be muddy and sometimes even fibrous. .

I start by cooking my spinach according to the method recommended by Cook's Illustrated, blanching in boiling water until wilted. I find the process a bit cumbersome, especially since spinach absorbs more water than necessary, resulting in a diluted flavor. Microwaving it in a bowl is a bit better, but doesn't give you a chance to enhance its flavor with some aromatics.

Best method? Blow. I start by sweating shallots and garlic in a butter and olive oil mixture (for extra flavor), then add spinach a few handfuls at a time until completely tender. From there, I let it cook, letting the juices drain down until the pan looked completely dry. But looking completely dry and completely dry are two separate things. I've discovered the hard way that it's extremely important to remove as much excess liquid from your spinach as possible if you want to get consistent and reliable results. Place the cooked spinach in a colander and press down with a spatula until you have drained the last remaining tablespoons.

The last question is how to incorporate this spinach. Some recipes simply spread the chopped wilted leaves between each layer, the wilted leaves. There was a time when I also used this method. It's easy to make, but it's not ideal: The whole spinach leaf will slip out of your lasagna with each bite.

It's best to chop this spinach by grinding it through a food processor, then combine with some of your cheese mixture to disperse evenly.

Speaking of cheese, let's talk cheese, shall we?

How to Get the Best Cheese Spinach Lasagna

I know my goal here is to get fatter and start by making a standard cookie with cheese seasonings to put it all together. It's pretty good, but it lacks the rich, cheesey flavor of lasagna ricotta. Problem? Most store-bought ricotta is terrible, and I mean really terrible.

See, to save money, instead of carefully forming a curd and draining excess water as usual, most major brands will add a gum and stabilizer designed to help keep this excess water bound. inside the mixture. The result is a ricotta that's bland (after all, the milky flavor is toned down) and has an odd gum-like texture that bears little resemblance to the real thing.

There are several solutions. The first is to make your own ricotta. With our simple kitchen method, you can have fresh ricotta on the counter in about 30 minutes, although you'll need to make several batches of the amount needed for a large lasagna like this.

Also, you can look for quality brands. If you have a good local milkshake, the freshly made ricotta can't be beat. At the supermarket, check your label to see if ricotta contains nothing but milk, salt and sourdough or a little acid.

Calabro is a great brand available at Whole Foods. Be sure to get their high fat ricotta - the lower fat versions have extra stabilizers to make up for their excess water.

Your final pick? Forget the ricotta and use fresh cheese instead. It sounds strange, but the two products are made very similar and when combined with lasagna, the small cheese creates a beautiful cream color. Some people actually prefer the end result you get from small cheeses than real ricotta!

The easiest way to combine any cheese of your choice is to use it as is, stirring the eggs to help bind a bit during cooking, but I find the ricotta added this way to be a bit rocky and dry. Instead, I like to take half of the ricotta and mix it in a food processor with an egg, a generous amount of parmesan cheese for extra flavor, and freshly ground nutmeg, pepper, and salt.

To this, I add my chopped spinach with the other half of the ricotta. By combining ricotta in two different forms, you get an end result that is rich and greasy, but still has the signature mini ricotta bars interspersed.

Finally, freshly grated mozzarella and Comté, Gruyère or Emmentaler combined with some besciamella that will do everything on top.

Make noodles a star with fresh lasagna

I'm generally a big supporter of this flat, unboiled lasagna. They are especially effective if you soak them in water when preparing the toppings. But no matter how convenient they are, they never quite have the chewy bite of fresh pasta, and sometimes you just have to push all the way out, even if it's 2 a.m. the third day.

Working with sheets of store-bought fresh pasta is pretty easy. I make a large pile and use a pizza cutter to cut them into the right shape and size. Remember that fresh noodles will swell as you cook, so you need to be careful when cutting. I subtract about an inch to each side when cutting.

Fresh lasagna doesn't need to be cooked first, but stacked raw noodles will draw moisture from the filling. I find it much easier to judge the texture of the finished lasagna if you bake it first.

Cook a few cut noodles at a time in a pot of boiling salted water. They should be cooked until very tasty - less than a minute in water is fine.

 

Transfer them to the sink and soak them under cold running water, gently unfolding the leaves and being careful not to tear them.

Spread the washed leaves on a clean tea towel, then repeat with the rest of the noodles. To save space, I like to place one layer of noodles on one half of a napkin, fold the other half, then layer the next layer of noodles on top. I repeat with more towels if needed.

Dry noodles when not boiled will absorb liquid and become very thick when cooked, so it is difficult to stack more than five to six layers in a single lasagna pan. When it comes to using fresh noodles, I prefer the more traditional approach and really make the noodles the star of the show. I would go for 12 classes or even more.

Stack and Go: Assemble Your Lasagna

We got our besciamella cheese, our spinach and ricotta mix, and our noodles, leaving us with the most therapeutic and enjoyable part: stacking.

I like to start with a thin layer of besciamella on the bottom of the lasagna pan that has been greased to give the bottom layer of noodles something to cling to.

In a layer of pasta.

Next is a thin, thin layer of spinach mixture. Remember: 12 classes to go here! It's okay if the pasta has white spots, anyway it will settle and change during the cooking process. 

Followed by a small piece of fish fillet.

I spread it with the back of a spoon.

I repeat the process until I use both the pasta and the spinach mixture.

For the top layer, I mixed things up a bit by combining the finely grated cheese. This gives the top part a softer and more stretchy coating. Another layer of besciamella to hold everything together and it's ready to go.

To let the cheese melt, I start by coating the lasagna with foil for the first 15 minutes of the 30-40 minute cooking time. Then, the foil unfolds and continue cooking the lasagna until bubbly and golden brown all around.

You may find that with fresh lasagna noodles, you get a little puff due to the steam trapped between the layers of noodles. If you look in your oven (or like me, sit in the glass for 40 minutes) and notice a bulge in the center of your lasagna, just stab it with a thin paring knife. this trapped evaporator.

For best texture, let lasagna rest before serving

When the lasagna is nice, golden and fragrant, it is ready to take out of the oven. You'll be tempted to jump in, but for the best texture, sit for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

And for red sauce lovers...

 

 When I did a quick survey on Twitter, there was a scathing response that a good spinach lasagna shouldn't have ketchup. That said, there's a strong vocal minority that really enjoy the tomato and spinach combination. I say feel free to add a few cups of ketchup in layers here and there. Am I brave enough to recommend my slow cooker Italian-American red sauce as a good candidate?

The Food Lab's No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe

The Food Lab's No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe

Nys Aqyla    9/10/2022   

 

 why does it work?

• Soaking the pasta instead of boiling will allow the pasta to cook perfectly without using an extra pan or waiting for it to come to a boil.
   
• Mixing the base marinara sauce with cream and ricotta cheese keeps the pasta moist and flavorful.
   
• Diced mozzarella blocks form a distinct bag of melted cheese for added textural contrast.

  Grilled Ziti is the dish I make at the annual ski retreat that my friends and I take to New England every year. Few baked goods are easier to make while still producing such amazing results, especially when it's snowing outside and you have a whole bunch of friends to feed. The noodles are mixed with a pink mixture of ketchup, cream, and ricotta cheese, with a few eggs thrown in to create a casserole structure during cooking. I also love mixing mozzarella cubes with pasta to form supple, stretchy bags. I finish it all off with some marinara, add mozzarella balls and a piece of parmesan.

Formula Events

• Preparation: 25 minutes                           Serves: 6 to 8 servings
  
• Cooking: 60 minutes
  
• Rest: 40 minutes
  
• Total: 2 hours 5 minutes
  

Element

• 1 pound ziti, penne, or other thick pasta
  
• 6 cups homemade or high-quality store-bought red sauce (like Rao`s)
  
• 12 ounces high-quality or homemade whole milk ricotta cheese (see note)
  
• 3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely ground (about 1/2 cup)
  
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of cream
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into coarse 1/4-inch cubes

Direction

• Place the oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the ziti in a large bowl and cover with about 3 or 4 inches of hot salted water. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring after the first 5 minutes so it doesn't stick. Drought drying.
   
• Pour half the marinara into a large saucepan, add the ricotta, half the Parmigiano, eggs, cream and half the parsley and basil, stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the soaked ziti with half of the cheese cubes and stir until well blended. Transfer to a 13x9-inch baking dish and top with remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella.
   
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, then let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle remaining parsley and basil on top and serve on a plate.
  

This formula appears in

• Food Lab: To Make Ziti Cooking Easier, Soak, Don't Boil Your Pasta
  

How to Make Classic Italian Lasagna Bolognese

How to Make Classic Italian Lasagna Bolognese

Nys Aqyla    9/05/2022   

 Everything you need to know to make the classic Italian bolognese lasagna, the famous toast with alternating layers of deep and meaty ragù bolognese, creamy bechamel sauce and delicate pieces of fresh noodles.

 

In the US, when most people say they're going to make lasagna, they almost always mean the dish is toasted with wide noodles with thick layers of ricotta, mozzarella, and tomato or meat sauces. . But this limited use of the term doesn't begin to capture the vast possibilities of lasagna as it is made in Italy, and in particular, the queen of all lasagna: lasagna bolognese.

What is Lasagna Bolognese?

The word lasagna itself, technically just refers to the noodles - wide, flat and rectangular - which is why Italians almost always use the plural, lasagna. Lasagna is also one of the oldest forms of pasta, which makes sense considering it's actually the starting point for so many other pastas: you have to make the lasagna before you can cut a thing. something like fettuccine or pappardelle in them. Considering their age, there are probably 50 lasagna recipes for every square inch of Italian soil,* and not all of them are layered and baked.

Don't quote me on that.

In Liguria, for example, lasagna is rolled to an almost transparent level when cooked, then drizzled with pesto. Sure, they call it mandilli de saea (or fazzoletti di seta), a reference to the silk handkerchiefs that the noodles look like, but they're lasagna anyway.

Meanwhile, in Naples, you can find lasagna alla napoletana, a wonderful grilled version stuffed with every delicacy you can imagine. However, the one I crave the most is lasagna alla Bolognese, which originated in Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy. It's a simple basic recipe, with just a few key ingredients: pasta; meat sauce, called ragù Bolognese; besciamella (also called Béchamel or white sauce); and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Despite its hearty setting, the real beauty of Lasagna Bolognese is its sophistication. The layers aren't overdone, making sure the pasta (and your mouth) isn't swept away by the richness of the filling.

No ricotta in it, no mozzarella, no spinach leaves, mushrooms, or other heavy additions commonly found in other lasagna recipes.

Instead, the silky texture is the result of delicate layers of fresh noodles and long-cooked gelatin-coated ragù, all skillfully bonded by a layer of besciamella cream. And the flavor, while strong and meaty, has a hint of sweetness, a gift from all the carb- and dairy-rich ingredients (plus the judicious use of nutmeg). It's as close to perfection as any baking powder I've ever eaten, and while you're free to stuff it with additional ingredients if you want, try it at least in its most basic form first, because I really think it doesn't. don't want anything.

To make it work, you have to think about every ingredient – ​​like many of the best Italian dishes, Lasagna Bolognese is relatively simple, which means poor technique and confusing shortcuts that have very little to do. hide.

Look at the ingredients: Pasta

 

Many experts, including Italian food agency Marcella Hazan, tell you that if you're not ready to make your own fresh lasagna from scratch, you shouldn't worry about preparing the dish. I don't agree with that. While fresh homemade lasagna, rolled from egg-enriched dough, can make the top of the dish, it's not a requirement. (In fact, Kenji even calls for unboiled dry lasagna noodles in his lasagna recipe.)

First of all, you can now buy fresh (or frozen) lasagna noodles in abundance at many supermarkets, delivering undeniably delicious results. And, to be honest, while it doesn't look like it, even dry pasta can work well - the pasta in lasagna should be overcooked anyway, so you can Stab it with a fork without too much resistance, and the dry pasta lends this variety almost overcooked as well as fresh. If you're ready to make pasta from scratch, you should start by reading Niki's in-depth test of fresh pasta dough, in which she dialed in the sweet spot (as long as it can last. at) for a flour-based dough. and eggs. You can follow her regular pasta recipe or her spinach-enriched recipe. Technically, spinach pasta is the more traditional choice for a lasagna bolognese, but I don't see that as more of a claim than a homemade pasta dish.

One of the benefits of making your own pasta is that you can control how thin the paper is. With lasagna bolognese, the thinner the better, at least to a point. I recommend rolling the sheets to about 6 or 7 on your pasta machine - thin enough that the layers of pasta aren't unnecessarily bulky, but also not so thin that Ligurian silk handkerchiefs. Once they're unrolled, cut the long sheets of paper into rectangles of a more manageable length of about 8 inches.

To make pasta, I cook it in boiling salted water until cooked through, with only a slight resiliency when you chew it (it gets softer in the oven). Then I let the noodles cool in a bowl of ice water, drained, and lightly rubbed with oil so the noodles wouldn't stick. If you plan to store cooked noodles for a while, I recommend placing the oiled sheets on a parchment-lined baking tray with several layers of plastic wrap between them again, to prevent them from sticking together. .

Appearance Ingredients: Bolognese Ragù

 

 Next up is ragù bolognese, and we at Serious Eats have helped you perform on that front in many ways. Bolognese is a meat sauce usually made with beef, and sometimes pork and/or veal; Lamb is not an unheard of addition.

While there are probably as many recipes for Bolognese sauce as lasagna, it always starts with soffritto, a sautéed blend of herbs like onions, carrots, and celery. While alive, the Italians called this mixture of chopped vegetables abeatto, which means "beating," and hardened back to the days when they ground all the aromatics into a coarse mixture with a mortar and pestle. For this reason, I tend to opt for the pre-cut, hand-made biscuits (because I'm a bit grainy), but it can be easily done much quicker in a food processor. I love how the finer ground meat almost disappears between the pieces in the sauce.

In addition to soffritto and meat, Bolognese usually contains small amounts of tomatoes, either in a mashed or paste form, but not enough to form a complete tomato sauce, as well as wine (red or white, but still dry... and don't worry too much about the quality), plus a touch of warm spice like nutmeg and a good bit of milk or cream, for a smooth, luxurious finish.

 

You can choose from many different recipes for this. First, there's the slow-cooked version of Kenji, made to look like the real thing. Among the newest elements in his recipe are pancetta, lamb liver and chicken for added richness and depth; It also cooks the sauce in the oven rather than on the stove, which takes longer but delivers a darker flavor and softer texture, thanks to a combination of mild heat and topping.

Kenji also posted a Bolognese Pressure Cooker recipe, which is a great time saver without sacrificing much in terms of quality. If you have a pressure cooker, this is definitely something to consider. I also wrote my own bolognese recipe, just for this lasagna. It's a bit simpler than Kenji's, both a bit easier and to achieve the specific flavor I was looking for - bringing out those sweet milky notes and toning down some of the pancetta, livery intensity. chicken and lamb. My recipe isn't a quick and easy recipe by any means, though if you make it on the stove it takes three, maybe four hours. You can also bake according to Kenji's method, which will provide subtle flavor and texture improvements, but will likely take an hour or two longer.

It takes a while, but the sauce solidifies well, making it an ingredient you can make to your liking, then defrost whenever you want to make your lasagna (or serve with pasta). fresh tagliatelle).

There are several important steps in all of our ragù recipes. The first is to add unflavored gelatin to the chicken broth before adding it to the pot, especially if you're using a store-bought broth, which doesn't have the gelatin that good homemade broth always has. Gelatin is important because it provides a rich, enveloping viscosity that best separates sauces from all soft, watery sauces. Incidentally, using ground veal in bolognese also increases the gelatin factor.

An alternative is to brown only part of the mince, or start with the meat in large chunks to brown, then grind later. That's because browning offers great flavor development, but sacrifices texture by over-drying the browned parts - browning requires drying, so there's no good way to solve this problem. By browning only part of the meat, we get that wonderful grilled flavor, but we reserve a softer texture in the rest of the undercooked meat. It is a win-win outcome and good for all.

Appearance Ingredients: Besciamella (large white dope)

 

Aside from grated parmesan, besciamella is the most basic of all lasagna bolognese ingredients, but its importance should not be underestimated. It's the delicious creamy sauce that ties it all together, helping to combine meat sauces with silky-smooth pasta sheets while underscoring the dish's rich, milky flavors and highlighting the spice of nutmeg. that warmth (found in both ragù and besciamella).

The trick to getting it right is to create a version with the correct flour-to-milk ratio, which in this case means less flour for a thinner white sauce. This is because the lasagna will thicken as the lasagna cooks, so if you start with a thicker sauce, it will become mushy when the lasagna comes out of the oven. I use a ratio of just over a tablespoon of flour per cup of milk. The artificial part will melt easily in layers, but will achieve the perfect, slow-flowing consistency after baking.

Also, this method is classic. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour to form a thick paste, then cook until the raw smell of the dough is gone, but not to the point of starting to brown. Then, slowly pour in the milk in a drip, whisking well to avoid lumps and to make sure the sauce is really smooth and silky.

One thing to watch out for: Besciamella has a tendency to rapidly develop thickened skin on top when sitting; you can avoid this by pressing plastic wrap to the surface. Then keep warm until you're ready to use.

How to make Lasagna Bolognese

Once all the ingredients are prepared, all that remains is to assemble and cook the lasagna.

 

      

    Layers of Lasagna Bolognese

Step 1: Butter the baked goods, then start layering the ragu and pasta

 

Start by baking a baking dish (nine by 13 inches works well for my recipe), then lay out a thin layer of ragù, just to serve as the base for the first layer of pasta. Now cover the ragù with sheets of pasta; some overlap is fine, but you can trim the pasta if needed to avoid too much duplication.

Step 2: Layer with ragu, pasta, toast and cheese

Then add another thin layer of ragù, followed by besciamella fillet and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Step 3: Repeat until the baking dish is full

Repeat this sequence of layers until the baking dish is full; it's about six layers in total for me.

Sauce Tips:

The most important thing is not to let the meat sauce get too thick, however you may be tempted. Each individual layer should be thin, as it will increase as each layer is stacked on top of the last; If you do it right, the pasta dish will have the same sauce as an undercooked pasta dish (i.e. not too much sauce). Too much sauce will only overwhelm the noodles and reduce the structural integrity of the layers after cutting and plating the lasagna. (Anyone who really wants the sauce can just ignore all that and eat it from the bowl with a spoon. There's no shame in that.)

Step 4: Finish with Besciamella and cheese

 

Once you've reached the top of the pasta, spread the rest of the toast on top, without further stewing, then drizzle the final amount of grated cheese over it.

Step 5: Cook lasagna

 

Whole dish can be baked in a 375°F oven until bubbly and golden on top, about 35 minutes. Then let it sit for at least 10 minutes, so it can harden slightly and hold together better after you cut.

It may not reach dizzying heights or overflow with thick layers of cheese, but it more than holds its place in the lasagna gallery – I mean, who could argue that there are more ways to do it. keep interesting things between sheets of paper?

 

Get recipes:

• Classic Grilled Lasagna Bolognese Recipe (Lasagna alla bolognese)
  
• Basic Bolognese Ragù