Dairy Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Tomato sauce

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   In a bowl, mix the tomato sauce, olive oil and garlic.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveSmall saucepan
3. 3
   Add and fry 3 minutes, until the peppers soften.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 5
   Chop the spinach.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 6
   In a bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, eggs and nutmeg, and season with salt and black pepper.

   Bowl

To assemble

1. 7
   Briefly cook the lasagna sheets according to the package directions, until pliable but still firm, and separate them on a towel so they don't stick.

   StovePotKitchen towel
2. 8
   Add half of the parmesan to the filling and mix.
3. 9
   Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 22 by 30 cm baking pan, arrange three sheets, spread a third of the filling and sprinkle with a little of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers twice more, and finish with a layer of sheets, the tomato sauce and the rest of the mozzarella and the parmesan.

   Baking pan
4. 10
   Cover the pan with foil and bake 25 minutes.

   OvenBaking panAluminum foil
5. 11
   Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
6. 12
   Leave the lasagna out of the oven 15 minutes, and only then cut.
7. 13
   Serve with the basil leaves.