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Recipe Exchange cross-posted at Balloon-Juice.

I thought last week went really well.  Thanks for playing along. This week we delve into spinach recipes.  I used to hate spinach.  This is probably because I am a child of the 70′s and the only spinach I ever saw was canned or frozen, with the consistency of slime.  As an adult I discovered fresh, baby spinach and I never looked back.  One of my favorite spinach recipes is Spinach Lasagna.  

JeffreyW's stuffed manicotti with spinach

To get us started:

Spinach Lasagna

This is one of my most requested recipes.  Every time I make it, someone wants the recipe.  Since the prep time is long, I usually only break it out for special occasions.  It freezes well, so you can make a double batch and freeze two 8×8 pans of  uncooked lasagna for two more meals.  Thaw the night  before (in the refrigerator) and cook until heated through, about 45 minutes to an hour.  This recipe is great vegetarian, or you can add ground beef and sausage if desired.

 This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and another hour to cook. It easily serves 6 – 8

Sauce:

• 3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
• 2-6 oz cans tomato paste
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp oregano, crushed
• 3 tsp basil, crushed
• 3 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
• pinch of sugar (reduces acidity of the tomatoes)
• Optional: ½ lb ground beef and ½ spicy Italian sausage, browned

Saucepan

Add all ingredients to saucepan on medium-high, stirring constantly until it begins to boil lightly. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Lasagna:

• 1 pkg lasagna noodles (16 oz), cooked and placed in cool water until layering*
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• 8 oz fresh baby spinach, washed and dried and chopped
• 1 egg
• 12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

13×9 baking dish (I prefer glass), lightly oiled

To prepare: Mix ricotta, spinach and egg until well blended. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover in a single layer of noodles. Ladle sauce over noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture evenly (if you place large dollops evenly like putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, fairly close together, it will spread as it cooks, no need to smooth it). Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat: noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles, add remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered – I like to place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills as it bubbles. Place knife through the center, if it comes out heated through, remove and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If it needs more cooking time, you can cover with foil to keep the cheese from burning and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand uncovered before serving.

*if you’d like to make your own noodles, here is the recipe I use:

Lasagna Noodles

When I do make the pasta, I make three, pan-sized noodles, rolled very, very thin. I place them uncooked in the dish, so they absorbed much of the sauce.  I usually make a bit extra sauce to serve on the side with the lasagna.

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, add flour.  Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, eggs and salt.  Mix well with a fork.  Mix in water, 1 tbsp at a time until dough forms a ball.  Turn out onto a well floured board or pastry sheet.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 3 equal parts.  Roll one ball out as thin as possible (I use a marble rolling pin, you can also use a pasta machine).  Make sure to cover remaining balls with a damp towel until ready to use.  Cut to fit pan. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 3 pan sized noodles.  DO NOT COOK  homemade noodles before putting lasagna together.  Follow directions above for putting lasagna together.

Next Week:  Favorite Super Bowl Food