Easiest Spinach Lasagna

no boiling + no fuss!

Grace holding the lasagna <3

I originally made this lasagna for this class I taught last fall (did you know all of my classes are recorded so you can do them anytime?? head here for more!). I keep making it because it’s so fast and comforting and so I figured that even though it’s basically summer, it was worth sharing here.

It’s the easiest lasagna I’ve ever made, mostly thanks to learning about the genius of soaking regular dry lasagna noodles in hot water before layering them. No boiling noodles. No separate pot of hot water. No sticking noodles. No making homemade pasta. You just buy a box of lasagna noodles, soak them in hot water, then move on. I learned about soaking lasagna noodles from

deb perelman

(see here!)!!

For the filling, you layer those soaked noodles with store-bought tomato sauce (want to use homemade? use homemade! I use Rao’s), plus a cheesy mixture of frozen spinach, grated mozzarella, ricotta, creme fraiche for richness, and lots of seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano). There’s no making bechamel or dealing with hot anything.

A few other tips/thoughts:

• definitely put your baking pan on top of a sheet pan — it will catch any drips, and it will also make getting it in and out of the oven so much easier

• instead of spinach, you could do any cooked vegetable (sautéed mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, whatever!)

• you can add a little freshly grated nutmeg to the cheese mixture if you want

Easiest Spinach Lasagna

Serves about 6 - 8

• 1 pound dried regular lasagna noodles (not the no-boil type!)

• 3 cups (12 ounces) grated low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated 

• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta

• 1 cup creme fraiche (or 1/2 cup heavy cream)

• 1 pound frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cups (a.k.a 32 ounces or 1 quart) your favorite tomato sauce (mine is Rao’s)

• Cooking spray or a tiny bit of olive oil (for the aluminum foil)

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Place the lasagna noodles in a large bowl or roasting dish and cover with very hot tap water (if your tap water doesn’t get that hot, do a combination of hot tap water and boiling water). Let the noodles soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

Set aside 1 cup of the grated mozzarella (you’ll use this to top the lasagna).

Place the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella in a large bowl along with the Parmesan, ricotta, creme fraiche (or heavy cream), spinach, salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, and black pepper. Stir everything well to combine. This mixture will be quite thick (I find it’s easiest to mix with my hand, almost like making dough). 

Place a 9-by-13-in baking dish on top of a sheet pan (this will make it easier to get the lasagna in and out of the oven). 

Place 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the sauce with a spoon to cover the surface of the dish. Take a few of the lasagna noodles out of the hot water and just let any excess water drip back into the water bowl. Layer the pasta in a single layer over the sauce with the edges slightly overlapping (you’ll need about 4-5 long strips per layer).

Spread a third of the spinach mixture over the pasta and then spread a cup of tomato sauce over that. 

Repeat the process two more times. At this point you’ll have a naked layer of pasta on top and you’ll have used up all of your spinach mixture. All that should remain is about 1/2 cup tomato sauce and the cup of mozzarella you set aside. Spread that last bit of sauce on top of the pasta and sprinkle the mozzarella evenly on top.

IF YOU’RE MORE OF A VISUAL PERSON… 

Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray (or rub with oil) and cover the lasagna with it (this helps to keep the cheese from sticking to the foil).

Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover the lasagna and bake until bubbling and the cheese on top is golden brown, about 25 additional minutes. 

Let the lasagna rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. This lets the pasta fully absorb all of the bubbling sauce, so you don’t end up with soupy slices. 

No class this weekend! But my last class before I take my summer break from teaching is next Sunday, June 25th. We will be making FOUR summer picnic salads (Marinated Lentil Salad, June’s Corn Salad, Potato Salad + my Grandma’s Cucumber Salad). Classes will resume in September!!

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xoxooxox, Julia