Spinach and Beef Lasagna
User Reviews
4.6
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
45 mins
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Total Time
1 hr
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Calories
1921 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Spinach and Beef Lasagna
Description
Spinach and Beef Lasagna combines browned ground chuck and crisp pancetta with a flavorful sauce made from fire-roasted tomatoes, sautéed garlic, onions, and fresh herbs. Fresh spinach, wilted and mixed with basil, provides green layers that complement the rich meats and cheeses. No-boil lasagna sheets streamline the preparation, absorbing moisture during baking to meld each layer together. A béchamel sauce made from butter, flour, milk, and a touch of nutmeg lends a creamy finish that balances acidity from the tomatoes.
The layered assembly alternates meat sauce, spinach-ricotta mixture, cheeses, and pasta, then bakes to a golden bubbly finish. The texture is tender with a slight bite from the pasta sheets and a creamy, savory core from the cheeses and béchamel. Fresh herbs such as thyme and basil brighten the flavor profile, while red pepper flakes add a hint of warmth.
This lasagna serves well as a filling dinner centerpiece, served with a simple salad or crusty bread. It presents a balanced combination of meat and vegetables within a traditional pasta bake format.
To ensure even cooking of the pasta sheets, do not wrap the baking dish foil too tightly, preventing cheese from sticking. If no-boil sheets are unavailable, al dente boiled lasagna noodles can be used. Prep includes 10 minutes of ingredient chopping and 15 minutes for assembly after components are cooked. Bake time ranges from 35 to 45 minutes for a fully melded, hot lasagna.
Ingredients
Lasagna Ingredients
- 1 pound lasagna sheets no-boil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 4 ounces pancetta (diced)
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes fire roasted
- 5 tablespoons olive oil (divided in the instructions)
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese skim
- 2 egg
- 10 ounces spinach roughly chopped, fresh
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 yellow onion (chopped (1/3 cup))
- 2 tablespoons thyme removed from stem, fresh
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes crushed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1/2 cup basil roughly chopped + more for garnish, fresh
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan reggiano cheese grated
Bechamel
- 5 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 cups milk room temp, whole
- Pinch nutmeg grated or ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a dutch oven or large skillet, over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant then add in chopped spinach. Sauté until spinach begins to wilt, about 4 minutes. Remove with a spoon and set aside in a bowl.
- In the same dutch oven, turn heat up to medium/high, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the diced pancetta. Cook until it begins to crisp up about 4 minutes. Add in the ground beef, 1 tsp of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper and cook until beef is browned and cooked through. Reserve 2 tbsp of the juice, drain the beef and set aside in a bowl. Mix in the 1/2 cup of basil into the spinach mixture.
- In the same dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the chopped onions. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the rest of the minced garlic, 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, and sauté for a minute. Add in the can of fire roasted tomatoes, 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tsp kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp oregano. Mix all together, lower the heat and cover, to allow the flavors to meld while you make the bechamel sauce.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 5 tbsp of butter. Once fully melted, slowly whisk in the flour constantly stirring so no lumps remain. Slowly add the milk while whisking continuously and grate some fresh nutmeg into the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken for 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the sauce doesn't burn. Taking a wooden spoon dip it in the sauce, run your finger on the spoon (careful it's hot) and if the sauce doesn't run together, then it's ready.
- Going back to the red sauce, using an immersion blender, smooth out the sauce. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Add in the bechamel sauce and stir to combine, it should now be a pink color. Turn heat off.
- In a small bowl, whisk 2 eggs and then add the ricotta cheese and mix until combined, set aside
Assembling Lasagna:
- In a rectangular baking dish, spoon a thick even layer of the tomato bechamel sauce onto the bottom of the dish (1/3 of the sauce). Then add a layer of lasagna sheets side by side. Using a spatula smooth half of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, followed by half of the spinach mixture. Add another layer of pasta, followed by the beef, and then 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon another layer (1/3) of the tomato bechamel sauce, followed by another layer of pasta sheets. Smooth the rest of the ricotta over the pasta sheets and add the rest of the spinach over that. Add the final layer of pasta sheets, followed by the tomato bechamel, the rest of the mozzarella, and freshly grate parmesan over the top. I like to take a few pieces of butter and disperse them over the top so it gives you that golden brown top.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven. If your lasagna is full to the brim, you can grab a baking sheet, cover with foil, and place the dish on top of that for any spillover. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove foil and low broil for 10 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with a spatula.
Notes
- If no-boil lasagna sheets are unavailable, cook regular sheets al dente before assembling the lasagna.
- When covering the lasagna to bake, avoid wrapping the foil tightly to prevent cheese sticking to foil.
- Preparation involves 10 minutes chopping and 15 minutes assembling after cooking sauce components.
- Baking takes between 35 and 45 minutes until the lasagna is heated through and bubbly.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 1Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1921 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 1921kcal | 96% |
| Carbohydrates | 137g | 46% |
| Protein | 93g | 186% |
| Fat | 111g | 171% |
| Saturated Fat | 45g | 225% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 7g | 41% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 45g | 225% |
| Trans Fat | 3g | 150% |
| Cholesterol | 422mg | 141% |
| Sodium | 2927mg | 122% |
| Potassium | 1701mg | 36% |
| Fiber | 10g | 40% |
| Sugar | 22g | 44% |
| Vitamin A | 9563IU | 191% |
| Vitamin C | 32mg | 36% |
| Calcium | 1155mg | 116% |
| Iron | 10mg | 56% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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