Spinach Ricotta Pinwheel Lasagna Recipes

SPINACH-RICOTTA PINWHEEL LASAGNA WITH SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Add lasagna noodles to 2 quarts of piping hot salted tap water in the 13- by 9-inch baking dish for the lasagna. Add noodles; soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain, stack, and halve lengthwise to create 24 strips.
• Meanwhile, add 5 of the garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of the oil to a Dutch oven; turn burner to medium-high. When garlic starts to sizzle, add tomatoes and enough water (1/2 cup or so) to make a sauce that is neither gloppy nor thin. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.
• While sauce simmers, add basil and remaining 3 garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Turn burner to medium-high. When garlic sizzles, add spinach; sauté until warmed through, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in ricotta and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese; adjust seasonings.
• When ready to assemble, spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in a 13- by 9-inch pan. Working 6 noodles at a time put a generous 2 tablespoons of spinach filling down each of the lasagna strips. Roll up to create a pinwheel shape; Place pinwheel-side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining noodles and filling to make 4 rows of 6 noodles. Drizzle another 2 cups of sauce over dish, sprinkle with fontinella and remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan. Cover with a vegetable cooking spray-coated sheet of aluminum foil.
• Bake until bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil, and leaving pan on upper-middle rack, broil until golden, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let rest 5 minutes. Serve with remaining warm tomato sauce served alongside.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Drain the ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl for 1 hour (or longer if the ricotta is very wet). If using fresh spinach, stem and rinse it well (don't dry the leaves). In a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, cook the spinach until wilted (3 to 5 minutes). Drain well and squeee out excess moisture and chop finely. If using thawed frozen spinach, squeeze it dry.
• Melt the butter in a 10 inch or 12 inch skillet over medim-low heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and toss it for 1 to 2 minutes to coat it with the butter. Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Add the ricotta, Parmigiano, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well. You should have about 4 1/2 cups.
• Cook the noodles: If using dried lasagna noodles instead of fresh use 1 lb and skip these cooking instructions--cook according to package instructions. If cooking fresh: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Slip the noodles, 2 or 3 at a time, into the boiling water and cook them until they're tender and pale (3 to 5 minutes). Thinner noodles will cook more frequently. To make sure they're done, taste a small piece. If it's still tough, it needs a little more cooking (fresh pasta should not be cooked al dente like dried pasta). Carefully scoop the noodles out of the pot with a large wire skimmer and slide them into the ice water to stop the cooking. When they're cool, layer them between clean dish towels until you're ready to assemble the lasagna (the noodles will keep this way for up to 2 hours).
• Make the Quick Tomato Sauce: In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, parsley, basil, a generous pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables are pale gold (10 to 12 minutes). Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stir well, and simmer gently to blend the flavors and reduce the sauce to about 4 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes (adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer). Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a smoother texture, pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor.
• Make the Basic Cream Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the mixture brown. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and bring just to a simmer, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened to a creamy, gravy-like consistency and no longer tastes of raw flour, 6 to 8 minutes for a single batch, 10 to 12 minutes for a double batch (you only need 1 batch for this recipe). Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If you don't use this sauce within 30 minutes it will thicken. Add a little warm milk and whisk to the sauce to thin it if necessary.
• Assemble the lasagna: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Choose a 9x12x3 inch baking dish or 10x14x2 inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a sparse layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of cooked noodles, cutting them as needed to fill the gaps. With a spatula, spread one third of the spinach and ricotta filling (about 1 1/2 cups) over the first layer of noodles. Then spread one third of the remaining tomato sauce (about 1 1/3 cups) and one third (1/2 cup) of the cream sauce over the filling. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano on top. Add a new layer of noodles, overlapping them slightly, and repeat the layers as instructed above, using all of the filling and ending with the Parmigiano, to make a total of 3 layers (you may not need all the pasta). Dot the top with the butter cubes.
• Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until heated through and bubbling at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

SPINACH-RICOTTA PINWHEEL LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Add lasagna noodles to 2 qts of piping hot salted tap water in a 9x13 baking dish. Soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain, stack and halve lengthwise to create 24 strips.
• Add 5 garlic cloves and 2 tbsp oil to a Dutch oven on medium-high heat until garlic startes to sizzle. Add tomatoes and 1/2 C water (more or less for a sauce that is neither gloppy nor thin). Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.
• Put basil and remaining 3 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When garlic starts to sizzle, add spinach. Saute until warm, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in ricotta and 1/2 C Parmesan.
• To assemble -- spread 2 C tomato sauce in the 9x13 baking dish. Working 6 noodles at a time, spread a generous 2 tbsp of spinach filling on each lasagna strip. Roll up lengthwise to create a pinwheel shape. Place folded end down in dish. Repeat to make 4 rows of 6 noodles. Drizzle remaining 2 C of sauce over all, sprinkle with fontinella and remaining 1/4 C of Parmesan. Cover with a cooking-spray-coated sheet of aluminum foil.
• Bake until bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil, and leaving pan on upper-midde rack, broil until golden, 3-5 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let rest 5 minutes. Serve with remaining tomato sauce.