For ultra-defined layers, bake this deep dish lasagne a day ahead. After chilling it will slice easily, and still hold its shape when reheated. Rich and cheesy, this is best served in small portions with a tomato, red onion and rocket salad, drizzled with sweet-sharp balsamic vinegar
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
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Ingredients
125g butter, plus extra to grease
500g leeks, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
600g baby leaf spinach
generous grating of nutmeg (from a whole nutmeg)
100g plain flour
700ml milk
75g Parmesan, grated*
1 x 250g tub ricotta*
10 fresh egg lasagne sheets
250g feta*, crumbled
15g pine nuts
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Get ahead
Best made the day before, cooled and chilled (or frozen in portions). See step 7 for reheating.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Fully line a loose-based 20cm square cake tin with a double layer of foil and grease with a little butter. Cut 2 long strips of baking paper, 20cm wide, and lay them in the tin crossways, with the excess extending over the sides.
Melt 25g of the butter in your largest saucepan. Cook the leeks and garlic with a pinch of salt over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the spinach (in batches if necessary), cover and leave to wilt for 5 minutes. Stir to combine, season with nutmeg and black pepper and tip into a colander over a large bowl to drain.
Melt the remaining 100g butter in a large pan. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk. Cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat and whisk in two-thirds of the Parmesan, followed by the ricotta, until smooth. Season to taste and spoon out 2 ladlefuls of the sauce to reserve for the top of the lasagne. Stir the drained spinach and leek mixture into the sauce left in the pan.
Put the lasagne sheets in a heatproof dish, cover with boiling water from the kettle and leave to soften for 1 minute then lift out to a board. Cut the sheets to size so that they will fit neatly into the prepared tin.
Spread a thin layer of the spinach sauce (about one-eighth) in the base of the prepared tin. Scatter with a small handful of feta, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat these three layers, seven more times, finishing with lasagne sheets. Spread over the reserved white sauce, then scatter with the remaining Parmesan and the pine nuts.
Sit the tin on an oven tray; bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Rest for 15 minutes and serve, or see our Get Ahead tip above.
To reheat, preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Push the lasagne out of the tin from the base and cut into 9 squares. Place the desired number of squares in a large ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes until piping hot. Uncover and bake for a further 5 minutes to crisp up the top. Any other squares can be frozen for another time, then defrosted before reheating.
*Use vegetarian cheese if required
Serve with
Courgette and radish ribbon salad with basil dressing Roasted squash, olive, avocado and rocket salad Balsamic courgette, pine nuts and Parmesan salad
Feta cheese is an excellent substitute for ricotta in recipes where you want a more pronounced and salty flavor. Feta's tangy flavor can work well in savory dishes like lasagna, stuffed peppers, or pasta sauces.
Ricotta is higher in calories — about 180 calories for half a cup — but is loaded with calcium. “While high in sodium, feta tends to be one of the lowest in calories. Plus, with its strong flavor, you often use less of it than other cheeses,” says Kelli McGrane, a registered dietitian with the weight-loss app Lose It!
Too much between one layer and another will keep you from ever getting a perfect slice. Too little and all you'll taste is pasta. Do not put large pieces of vegetables or meat in lasagna for the same reason as above. To get a perfect lasagna, the filling should be finely sliced or even creamy.
A good tomato paste helps to thicken but also adds a sweet and savory umami flavor. Lean Ground Beef: Lean beef adds a robust and hearty meatiness that's essential in a classic lasagna recipe.
Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!
Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny. One or more eggs are recommended whether you add the other ingredients mentioned here or not.
After the initial sauce layer, add a layer of pasta sheets, ricotta mixture (or bechamel), sauce, and cheese. Then repeat the layers. Top the last layer of your lasagna with sauce and cheese. You can also alternate layers of sauce and ricotta cheese.
You can prepare lasagna up to 24 hours before baking it. To do so, follow these instructions: Assemble the lasagna in an oven-safe container and store it in the refrigerator. The temperature should be at or below 40 degrees.
Whether you're making a vegetable lasagna with tomato sauce or a traditional lasagna with meat sauce, sauce should be the first ingredient that goes in your baking dish. It prevents the pasta from sticking to the pan so that the lasagna is easy to slice and serve. You only need a thin layer.
While Feta isn't a total Ricotta doppelganger in baking, it can be a surprisingly perfect choice in certain situations. After all, both cheeses have a crumbly texture that gives them quite a similar vibe in baked dishes! They also bring excess moisture to the party that makes your treats go all nice and soft.
Feta Cheese is an excellent substitute for ricotta salata. This variety of ricotta is salted, pressed, and aged. It is often served as a finisher for savory dishes such as pasta and roasted vegetables. Although it has a saltier flavor, feta makes a good ricotta salata substitute because of its similar crumbly texture.
Cottage cheese: As far as ricotta substitutes go, light and mild cottage cheese is your best bet. In fact, some people prefer to use cottage cheese because it has a similar flavor and fewer calories.
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Prep time: 1 hr
