A flavour combination cherished by Italian natives and diners worldwide, our vegetarian lasagne recipe honours the humble but flavoursome spinaci e ricotta, or spinach and ricotta. From ravioli to malfatti, canneloni to rotini, this creamy and vibrant pairing is commonplace in many famous pasta dishes from the peninsula. Rich in iron and other essential vitamins, spinach has been enjoyed in Italy for years - Catherine de Medici was said to love the leafy green, giving way to the ‘florentine’ moniker associated with spinach-infused dishes. Its companion, ricotta, is made throughout Italy by resourceful caseificio (cheesemongers) - the term ‘ricotta’ literally means “re-cooked”, referencing the twice-cooked whey by-product that constitutes the cheese.
We combine these hero ingredients with nutmeg and fresh lemon, before layering this mixture between fresh lasagne sheets and creamy besciamella, and finishing with a generous scattering of vegetarian hard cheese.
Vegetarian spinach & ricotta lasagne
Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 130 minutes
Calories per serving: 692kcal
Ingredients:
For the spinach and ricotta filling
- 850g fresh spinach
- 250-300g ricotta
- 75g Italian hard cheese (vegetarian)
- The zest of ½ lemon
- A sprinkling of fresh nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the lasagne
- 400g fresh lasagne sheets
- 75g Italian hard cheese (vegetarian)
For the bèchamel sauce
- 600ml milk
- 60g plain flour
- 60g butter
- Generous grating of nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
To make the spinach and ricotta filling
- Heat a large pan over medium, before adding enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Add your spinach, and allow to cook until wilted. This shouldn’t take much time at all, so don’t leave the pan unattended. Once wilted, drain your spinach, then lay the mixture in the centre of a cloth or kitchen towel. Gather the ends of the towel and twist over the sink or a bowl, squeezing aggressively to remove as much water as possible from the mixture.
- Once you have extracted as much water as possible, transfer your spinach to a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, Italian hard cheese and fresh lemon zest, then grate a good amount of fresh nutmeg into the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir the mixture until fully combined.
To make your béchamel
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, before adding the flour. Whisk until combined and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until thickened. Ensure to add only a splash of milk at a time, so that your besciamella is free from lumps. Season with nutmeg, salt and black pepper to taste, and set aside.
Watch Roberta making a traditional béchamel sauce in our video guide:
To finish off your lasagne
- Ladle some of your bechamel into the spinach and ricotta mixture, to loosen the filling slightly.
- To assemble the lasagne, ladle a thin layer of bechamel on the bottom of a medium-sized baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets. Follow this with a layer of spinach sauce – be generous this time. Cover with a layer of béchamel, before sprinkling over the vegetarian hard cheese, and topping with optional mozzarella.
- Repeat these steps (pasta, spinach and ricotta, béchamel, and Italian hard cheese (and mozzarella)) to use up both sauces and the pasta sheets. There should be at least 5 layers of pasta and the top should be covered with even more cheese.
- Cook the lasagne for 20-30 minutes, or until piping hot. Our Head Chef Roberta recommends covering your dish with aluminium foil for the first 10-15 mins, to ensure that the lasagne doesn't dry out in the oven.
- Remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least 5 minutes. To serve, slice into equal-sized portions and finish with freshly shaved vegetarian hard cheese. Buon appetito.
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