Sausage and Spinach Lasagne
Total time: 50 minutes
This is a hearty lasagne, a bit more familiar, but with a few flavor twists: fresh spinach, sausage and a bit of green pepper. Using no-cook noodles makes it all easy.
Ingredients:
- 12 - 16 sheets 'no-cook' lasagna noodles
- 10oz (300gr) sausages, any flavor
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15oz (450gr) whole tomatoes
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) tomato sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 7oz (210gr) fresh spinach
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 tbs flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk, 12oz, (360ml)
- 1 cup (4oz, 120gr) shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions:
- Meat Sauce:
- Finely chop onion, pepper and garlic.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, garlic and sauté for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Slice sausages as thinly as possible (less than 1/2", 1cm) and add to skillet. Sauté until cooked through.
- Drain whole tomatoes, reserving sauce, and roughly chop.
- Add to skillet along with tomato sauce, reserved sauce and herbs.
- Cover, reduce heat and let simmer until needed.
- Béchamel sauce:
- In a medium saucepan heat the butter over low heat.
- Add flour and stir with a whisk for 1 minute.
- Add a little (1/4 cup) of the milk and whisk to combine.
- Turn heat up to medium-high and keep adding milk, a little at a time and whisking. You should have added all of the milk in a minute or 2.
- When all of the milk is in bring to a boil (should almost be there), whisking. Then remove from heat.
- Spinach:
- Remove any tough stems from the spinach and wash. Drain well.
- Cut any huge leaves.
- To assemble:
- in an square, 10 X 10 (25 X 25cm) or oblong baking dish, 8 X 10, (20 X 25cm) or so... make the following layers:
- 1/2 béchamel sauce
- 3 - 4 lasagne noodles, I have to break one up to get good coverage
- 1/3 meat sauce
- 3 - 4 lasagne noodles
- 1/2 béchamel sauce
- 1/2 of the cheese
- 3 - 4 lasagne noodles
- all of the spinach
- 1/3 meat sauce
- 3 - 4 lasagne noodles
- 1/3 meat sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- Cover and bake 400F (200C) for 20 - 25 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Test in center with a sharp knife.
- Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer to brown cheese.
- Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into squares (or oblongs) and serve.