Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Fresh Homemade Lasagna Noodles (see recipe)
2 pounds washed and stemmed spinach leaves
12 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
Salt and pepper
1 ¼ pounds Italian fennel sausage, sweet or hot, removed from casings
2 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
Béchamel sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
¼ cup all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk or half-and-half, plus more as needed
1 bay leaf, Pinch of cayenne, pinch of grated nutmeg
Tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 small garlic cloves, grated
A small handful fresh basil leaves or sprigs, more for garnish
3 cups tomato purée, preferably Italian
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced in small pieces
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Directions: |
Directions:Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach and let wilt for a few seconds. Drain spinach in a colander, rinse well with cold water. Squeeze spinach dry and chop roughly. Put ricotta and chopped spinach in a mixing bowl. Stir in lemon zest and crushed fennel seed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage meat, breaking up with a spatula, until crumbled. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until just cooked through. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Make the béchamel: melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring; do not let mixture brown. Whisk in milk 1/2 cup at a time, letting sauce thicken after each addition. Add bay leaf, cayenne and nutmeg and continue cooking over low heat, whisking frequently, for about 10 minutes, to create a smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin with a little more milk if necessary; consistency should be that of a thin milkshake. If needed, strain sauce to remove lumps. Keep warm in a double boiler to prevent thickening.
Make the tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and basil and let sizzle without browning, 1 minute or less. Add tomato purée and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, pull out the basil leaves, and whisk in butter. Set aside. Butter a medium-large baking dish, not larger than 9 by 13 inches. Heat oven to 375.
Assemble the lasagna: Place 2 sheets cooked pasta side by side, in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread pasta with 1/2 cup béchamel and dot with one-quarter of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle over one fourth of crumbled sausage and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat process for each of 4 layers. Finish with 2 sheets of pasta. Spread top with 1/2 cup béchamel. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes, until lasagna is bubbling. (If refrigerated cook up to 60 minutes.) Remove foil and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Let lasagna set for 15 minutes. Just before serving, reheat tomato sauce. To serve, cut lasagna into squares and transfer each serving to individual plates. Spoon about ½ cup tomato sauce around each serving. Garnish with basil leaves. |
This recipe for Spinach Lasagna with Fennel Sausage is from