French Lasagna – white sauce and spinach

This is a mostly French lasagna, but I’ve made so many tweaks to the recipe I’m not sure the French would claim it any more. It has a white sauce base with mushrooms and spinach as well as an optional protein, such as Italian sausage. I make my own Ricotta cheese because good ricotta is hard to get in the desert southwest. Notice the absence of Mozzarella cheese, which is further evidence this may not be totally Italiano.

This is an involved process, but isn’t that joy of cooking? Make the Ricotta a day ahead (or buy it at the store, you do what you want). The white sauce can be made a few hours before assembly, as can the sausage and spinach mixture. Suggest letting everything come to uniform temperature before assembly. Also, don’t forget the focaccia or garlic bread, which you need to start at least a day before serving.

Make sure to let the lasagna cools at least 15 minutes after coming out of the oven; it gives the cheeses a chance to firm up and ensures your guests won’t burn their mouths.

Ingredients

  • For Sauce
    • 12 oz Heavy Cream
    • 6 oz. dry white wine
    • 6 oz. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese*
    • 1/3rd cup grated Romano cheese*
    • 0.25 cup Italian parsley – chopped
    • 4 TBL butter
    • 2 garlic clove – minced
    • 1 medium Carrot – grated
    • 1 TBL dry basil
    • 1 TBL dry oregano
    • 1 tsp salt
    • Dash ground black pepper
    • Dash ground nutmeg
  • For Protein
    • 1 lb mild Italian sausage – or other protein option, like chicken
    • 1 tsp Fennel seeds
  • For spinach mixture
    • 2 lbs of frozen Spinach, thawed and drained, ~3 10 oz bags
    • 1 lb Portobello mushrooms – chopped
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • 1 onion – diced (~ 1/2 cup)
    • 6 garlic cloves – pressed and minced
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • For the Ricotta mixture
    • 2 lbs Fresh Ricotta cheese
    • 2 Eggs
    • 4 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese*
    • 1 tsp Nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper – optional
  • For Assembly:
    • 16-20 lasagna noodles
    • 1 TBL of Kosher salt
    • 0.25 cup Italian parsley – chopped

Process

  1. Mise en Place – gather and prepare all your ingredients before starting
  2. Prepare Protein
    1. Cook protein in advance and set aside until assembly
  3. Make the white sauce (or open a jar of sauce if that’s how you roll).
    1. Heat saucepan over Med heat.
    2. Melt butter in saucepan once pan is hot.
    3. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes careful not to burn the cream.
    4. Add basil, oregano, and nutmeg.
    5. Remove from heat.
    6. Add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, allowing the cheese to dissolve into the sauce.
    7. Stir in carrots and parsley, and set aside.
  4. Prepare Spinach Mixture
    1. Heat saucepan on med and once warm, melt the butter.
    2. Add onions and sauté ~2 min.
    3. Add mushrooms and sauté ~3 min.
    4. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional min.
    5. Add spinach and stir a few minutes to marry all the flavors.
    6. Salt and pepper to taste.
    7. Turn off heat and set aside.
  5. Prepare Ricotta Mixture
    1. Add half the ricotta, the eggs, grated cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
    2. Process until blended and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
    3. Add in the spinach mixture – helps break up cheese.
    4. Add the remaining ricotta cheese and stir/toss until blended.
  6. Prepare the Lasagna noodles
    1. Fill a pot with 4 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil.
    2. Add salt and return to a boil.
    3. Add lasagna noodles and cook uncovered for ~15 mins.
      • Tip: place a wooden spoon over the pot to keep the water from boiling over.
  7. Assemble
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
    2. Spray bottom and sides of 9×13 baking pan with cooking oil or brush with olive oil.
    3. Spread a small amount of the sauce onto the bottom of the pan and top with a layer of noodles (usually 4 per layer).
    4. Spread 1/3 of the spinach mixture on top of the noodles, followed by 1/4 of the sauce and optional protein.
    5. Repeat step 3 & 4 three more times, noodles- spinach- sauce-protein.
      • Each time you add a new layer of noddles, press them down to create a packed and level base for the next layer of ingredients.
    6. Top with a 4th layer of noodles, and remaining ingredients.
  8. Baking
    1. Prepare a foil cover (i.e., tent).
    2. Cover pan tightly with foil, and bake at 400F for 25 minutes.
    3. Reduce heat to 375F, remove the foil, and bake for another 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
    4. Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let rest for a least 15 mins.
    5. Slice into serving size. Since you let the lasagna cool, the cheese and sauce should not run.

Note 1: You can assemble the lasagna a few hours before baking to let all the different ingredients come to the same temperature and to allow the various tastes and aromas to fully integrate.

*Note 2: Do not use pre-shredded in sauce or ricotta mixture, it will not melt and you’ll end up with clumps. If using pre-shredded cheese, just sprinkle it on top of each layer during assembly.

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