A couple of years ago a dear friend of mine was throwing together a spinach lasagna while I was at her place. It was so wondrously simple I thought I’d give it a try. The original recipe calls for cottage cheese, but I’ve always liked using a bechamel sauce instead of ricotta or anything else in my lasagna. I kept tweaking it just because and now its become a cross between the original recipe and the lasagna I’m used to. It’s great even for weeknights because its simpler than traditional lasagna and you can always make it ahead.
Of course fresh ingredients are always best, but sometimes this mom needs a little help! I buy the sauce premade. I am a huge Trader Joe’s fan and if they carry what I need, I buy it from there. They have a great organic basil and tomato sauce that I use as a base in this recipe.
Ingredients
1pkg no boil Gluten Free Lasagna noodles
Canola,coconut,or avocado oil
1 25oz jar Organic marinara sauce
1 lb chopped spinach
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups milk (dairy or almond)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
salt
pepper
Method
Heat a large pan and drizzle with about one teaspoon of oil. Add garlic and spinach and saute until spinach is cooked. Pour marinara sauce into the pan with the spinach, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 min.
While the sauce is cooking heat a small saucepan on medium heat and. Add butter. When butter has melted, slowly add flour while whisking. Pour in milk, half a cup at a time and continue to whisk. Blend in Parmesan cheese. Sauce should begin thickening by this point. Once the sauce reaches the consistency of an Alfredo type sauce, turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Begin layering your lasagna by lightly coating a 9 inch baking dish with a little marinara sauce. Lay down your lasagna noodles (usually 3 is enough). Top with a layer of marinara sauce, bechemel, and shredded cheese, and lasagna noodles. Repeat to create another layer. The top layer will consist of marinara, bechemel, and shredded cheese. Mostly cheese.
Bake at 350* for 45 to 50 min. Let it sit about 10 minutes before you cut into it. This allows everything to settle a little.
