Spinach Leek Ricotta Lasagne
Steaming, comforting Italian dishes are excellent for this time of year as the season heads into winter and the nights are cold and dark. Sometimes I like to take a little time and prepare a special dish like lasagne or cannelloni for my family. This vegetarian recipe is interchangeable between the two. The written method is for lasagne but in the collage and cooks notes at the bottom are the instructions for cannelloni. The recipe seems long but don’t despair. It doesn’t take too long and is relatively easy to prepare. You can also make the filling and tomato sauce beforehand and keep in the fridge for a day or so before making the sauce and assembling your dish.
SPINACH LEEK AND RICOTTA LASAGNE
Ingredients:
Serves 6
For the filling:
100 g Butter
3-4 Leeks, washed well and sliced
2 or 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, leaves only
2-3 Garlic Cloves, finely grated or crushed
200 g Spinach roughly chopped
250 g Ricotta Cheese
Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste
2,5 ml Freshly grated Nutmeg
For the tomato sauce:
1 Red Onion chopped
1 Garlic Clove crushed with knife
1 Can Italian Chopped Tomatoes
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 ½ tsp Sugar
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
10 Basil Leaves, torn or sliced
For the Bechamel Sauce:
300ml Milk
1 Small Onion, peeled and left whole
3 – 4 Whole Cloves, studded into the onion
2 Bay Leaves
10 Black Peppercorns
1 ml Ground nutmeg
50 g Butter
50 g Flour
100 ml Cream
1 Cup Grated Mild Cheddar or Gruyere Cheese
One Egg Yolk
Salt and Finely Ground White Pepper
1 pack of Quick Cook Lasagne Sheets or Cannelloni Tubes
6-8 Bocconcini Balls (small mozzarella balls)
METHOD:
Preheat your oven to 2000C.
Grease a large rectangular or medium square casserole dish.
To make the filling:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat.
- Add the sliced washed leeks, stir to coat.
- Add some chopped fresh thyme o OR 1 tsp dried Thyme.
- Add the crushed garlic to the pan.
- Add a little bit of water to the pan.
- Cover with a lid then leave to simmer gently, stirring now and again and keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn, while you make the tomato sauce.
To make the tomato sauce:
- In a clean saucepan pour a bit of olive oil and gently fry the chopped onion and garlic until glazed and limp.
- Add the can of tomatoes and cook gently, reducing until thickened.
- While the tomatoes are reducing, using a clean small saucepan, boil together the red wine vinegar and the sugar over a medium to high heat until reduced to a thickish syrup of about 1 tablespoon (this is called a gastrique in cheffy lingo).
- Pour this syrup into the tomato sauce and season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the torn or sliced fresh basil leaves.
- Set aside until assembling.
Return to the filling:
- Into the slowly simmering pan with the leeks (the water will be evaporated and the leeks starting to turn a gentle gold colour) add the roughly chopped spinach leaves and stir about 2 minutes until wilted.
- Crumble the ricotta cheese then add it to the pan and stir in.
- Add the grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
- Set aside until assembling. (You can prepare up to here a day or two before).
To make the béchamel sauce:
- Pour milk into a saucepan.
- Add the onion studded with the cloves, the bay leaves and the peppercorns.
- Bring to a simmer but don’t boil.
- Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 – 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse into the milk.
- In another saucepan melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux or paste. Cook for 3-4 minutes over low heat.
- Strain the spices and onion out of the warm milk then pour it into the saucepan with the roux (over low heat) while whisking briskly to make a thickish sauce.
- Add the cream and half the grated cheese. Whisk till smooth. Add a bit cold milk if too thick!
- Add the egg yolk and beat in (the egg yolk will allow the sauce to brown in the oven).
- Add seasoning and nutmeg to taste.
To assemble and bake:
- Spread a layer of hot béchamel sauce into the base of the casserole dish.
- Spoon over a layer of spinach ricotta filling.
- Cover with a layer of tomato sauce and then lay some lasagne sheets across the top.
- Repeat layers beginning again with the béchamel sauce until the casserole dish is almost filled or the filling is finished.
- End with a layer of béchamel sauce. Leave a little headspace as it does tend to bubble over the sides of the dish.
- Place the torn or sliced mozzarella balls over the top and sprinkle the remainder of the grated cheese on top.
- Bake at 2000 C for about 30-40 minutes.
Serve with a fresh green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Cook’s Notes:
- You can also make this dish up as stuffed cannelloni. It is absolutely delightful. You will need 12 uncooked cannelloni tubes.
- Place all the tomato sauce in the base of the casserole dish.
- Fill the cannelloni tubes with the spinach ricotta filling.
- Lay the tubes evenly across the top of the tomato sauce, push them down slightly.
- Pour the béchamel sauce over the tubes and spread it to the edges.
- Lay the mozzarella cheese on the top then cover with rest of grated cheese.
- Bake as above.
- Leftover unsweetened pancakes or roti bread make a great alternative to the pasta.
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