You're going to love these layers of noodles stuffed with ricotta cheese, sautéed garlicky spinach, and roasted tomatoes with a creamy Bechamel sauce. Try my spinach and tomato lasagna for dinner tonight.
Everyone loves lasagna so I thought I’d share my spin on a spinach and tomato lasagna made with a bechamel sauce.
I made a little Bechamel, sautéed the spinach with garlic, and roasted those lovely tomatoes and came up with a delicious vegetable lasagna.
The only problem I had with this cheesy creation was my lack of patience! I just couldn’t wait long enough for it to properly set up and ended up with a lasagna that was just a little loose.
It’s hard to balance being a food blogger and photographer and still get your family fed in a reasonable amount of time.
Even though it could have looked a little better, I don’t think it could’ve tasted any better, it was a nicely balanced array of flavors.
From the sweet creaminess of the Bechamel to the roasted tomatoes and garlicky spinach. Add the flavors of whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella and grated Romano cheese and you end up with a culinary masterpiece!
If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like these:
- Traditional Italian Bolognese
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Tomato Sauce and Sausage
- Restaurant-Style Clams and Spaghetti
- Fettuccine Alfredo
Tomato and Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
- 12 refrigerated pasta sheets or a box and a half of dry noodles
- 32 oz ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic -chopped
- 16 ounces organic baby spinach leaves
- 6 fresh tomatoes sliced
- 4 oz shredded mozzarella
- 4 ounces butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup milk use more if sauce is too thick
- 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh basil -chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix ricotta, grated Romano cheese, eggs, sugar and pepper together until well blended and place in the refrigerator until needed.
- Slice tomatoes, season with salt pepper and grated romano cheese and roast at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
- In a saucepan melt butter, then add in flour. Stir mixture over low heat until it begins to smell a little like bread (as the flour cooks). Be careful not to let the mixture burn.
- In another sauce pan heat the vegetable stock until almost boiling, then add it to the butter / flour mixture (roux). Mix well getting all of the roux stuck in the corners blended in.
- Add in milk, romano cheese and black pepper. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, mixture will thicken as it. If needed add additional milk or water to thin out your sauce. Allow sauce to cool.
- In a large skillet or sauce pan add in olive oil, garlic and spinach leaves and allow garlic to saute as spinach reduces.
- When spinach is fully cooked place in colander and allow all the liquid to drain. Squeeze out any remaining liquid and set spinach aside.
Assembly
- Start by placing enough bechamel sauce to cover the bottom of your lasagna pan, then add a layer of your prepared lasagna noodles*
- Add a layer of ricotta cheese a little of the bechamel sauce and then another layer of noodles.
- Add another layer of ricotta topped with the cooked spinach, top with bechamel sauce. then adding another layer of noodles
- Add the rest of the ricotta cheese and top with the roasted tomatoes (reserve 6 slices for the top of the lasagna), bechamel sauce and a final layer of noodles.
- Top the last layer of noodles with bechamel, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with romano cheese and chopped basil.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, allow lasagna to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
Bonnie Hammer says
I made this for a couple I had over for dinner last Friday, and we are still raving over it! I wanted to make spinach lasagna, but I also wanted sliced tomatoes in it. This was the first recipe that came up when I googled those ingredients in a lasagna dish. I loved the idea of using veggie stock instead of all milk or cream for the bechamel sauce. It still had a creamy consistency and rich, buttery flavor. I added chopped onions to the pan with the spinach and garlic. I also added shredded mozzarella to the bottom layer as well as sprinkling some on top. I made around noon time and then refrigerated it until evening when I popped it into the oven. Thanks for sharing the recipe for this delicious dish, Chef Dennis!
Chef Dennis Littley says
thanks for the great review Bonnie and I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Jodi says
I am making this for dinner tomorrow night. I premade it today. Would you make it covered or uncovered?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I would cook it covered Jodi. Use a nice tight layer of plastic wrap then aluminum foil over that.
Julie says
I meant to give it five stars, but I must have hit the four star mark by mistake!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
no worries and thank you!
Julia Ann says
Chef Dennis,
It was a hit at our house. I had fresh garden tomatoes. It will be a delicious company dish and has many servings. I am glad I found the recipe. I like Italian foods and I’m not Italian.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Julia Ann thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my lasagna! I have a lot of wonderful italian recipes on my blog, I hope you get a chance to try a few more. If you like tiramisu, I have an amazing recipe for that!
Julie says
Hello, my stepdaughter doesn’t eat meat…so I found this recipe online and made it. I am not a great cook…but I can certainly follow a recipe, especially one as easy as this was. It came out great!! Everyone loved it! Thank you
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear that everyone enjoyed the lasagna! And even happier to hear you found my recipe easy to use.
Jodee Weiland says
I’m 100% Italian and this looks great! I love cheese as well, and you definitely know how to put it to good use. Spinach is another favorite…this recipe looks fabulous!
Chef Dennis says
Thanks Jodee!
JC says
This was delicious! I made this for yesterday’s dinner. I had never thought to make a bechamel for a lasagna, but it made all the difference in the flavors. Of course, my bechamel sauce came out perfect – thanks to you, Chef Dennis! This is what the family wanted for dinner tonight. Fresh salad, freshly toasted bread and I was done. Thank you for sharing such a yummy dish.
Chef Dennis says
I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed my lasagna, it’s a nice change from a tomato based lasagna and perfect for this time of year. Thank you so much for letting me know how well it turned out!
Rachel Rose says
Wow, this looks fabulous! So many great recipes on your site, look forward to trying some of these out! Cheers, -R
Bonnie Banters says
Looks perfectly wonderful to me!
RavieNomNoms says
YUM, YUM and more YUM!! I love lasagna, but I don’t eat it very often. This looks so very tasty!
Linda says
This looks absolutely amazing!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
Chef Dennis, this looks incredible. I’m just like you, I cannot wait for lasagna to set up. And congrats on finding those tomatoes. Last ones I bought “wished” they tasted like cardboard. 😉
Joan / My Cookie Clinic says
This is the perfect summer comfort food. Usually, there has to be meat in my lasagne but this dish….I gotta try. Tomatoes, spinach,cheese…. sounds divine. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Chef Dennis says
Thanks Joan, and I understand, I’m not normally one for white lasagnas, but the roasted tomatoes and spinach really made this a memorable meal!
Kim | a little lunch says
Dennis, lasagna with Bechamel is among my favorite ways to make it — thanks so much for your veggie version. (And yes, let’s not forget to mention lots of CHEESE!) 🙂
Chef Dennis says
you gotta have cheese Kim!! I really didn’t mind giving up red meat, but cheese….never!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
Mmmm cheese IS amazing! This lasagna is gorgeoussss and looks to die for!
Chef Dennis says
Thanks Kayle, it was a very cheesalicious meal!
Michael Toa says
Ooh Chef… this is just my kind of meal. Looking at that oozing cheese and sauce makes me salivate… Gorgeous!
Chef Dennis says
Thank you Michael, you gotta love cheese!
Maria Nasir says
This looks sumptuous, I’m gonna try it soon. I totally agree…it’s difficult to be patient with plating up and photographing the food when your family is standing behind you holding plates 🙂
Chef Dennis says
Thanks Maria! It isn’t amazing what we put our families through, and I can’t remember when my meal has been really hot, since I always take the one that’s being photographed!