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Home » Recipes » Tomato and Spinach Lasagna Recipe

Tomato and Spinach Lasagna Recipe

May 19, 2013 by Chef Dennis Littley 30 Comments

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Everyone loves lasagna so I thought I’d share my spin on a spinach and tomato lasagna made with a bechamel sauce.

baking dish of cooked Spinach and Tomato Lasagna on a wooden cutting board

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.

portion of Spinach and Tomato Lasagna on a white plate with basil sprigs on the side

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!

portion of Spinach and Tomato Lasagna on a white plate with basil sprigs on the side

If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like these:

  • Traditional Italian Bolognese 
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Spinach and Tomato Lasagna
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4.88 from 8 votes

Tomato and Spinach Lasagna

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.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: lasagna recipe, spinach lasagna
Servings: 8
Calories: 682kcal
Author: Chef Dennis Littley

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
US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

If using dry noodles, you don't have to cook them, just add a little extra sauce under and over each layer of noodles, and allow the finished lasagna to sit 6-8 hours before baking

Nutrition

Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 832mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7415IU | Vitamin C: 28.8mg | Calcium: 560mg | Iron: 3.5mg
 

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About Chef Dennis

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Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. priyakitchenette.com

    February 17, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    Love this recipe, tastes delicious. Top marks.

    Reply
  2. Bonnie Hammer

    January 20, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley

      January 20, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      thanks for the great review Bonnie and I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Jodi

    September 20, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    I am making this for dinner tomorrow night. I premade it today. Would you make it covered or uncovered?

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley

      September 20, 2015 at 8:27 pm

      I would cook it covered Jodi. Use a nice tight layer of plastic wrap then aluminum foil over that.

      Reply
  4. Julie

    September 15, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    I meant to give it five stars, but I must have hit the four star mark by mistake!!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley

      September 15, 2015 at 3:40 pm

      no worries and thank you!

      Reply
  5. Julia Ann

    September 10, 2013 at 9:28 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley

      September 10, 2013 at 5:02 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Julie

        September 15, 2015 at 12:17 pm

        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

        Reply
        • Chef Dennis Littley

          September 15, 2015 at 3:39 pm

          I’m very happy to hear that everyone enjoyed the lasagna! And even happier to hear you found my recipe easy to use.

          Reply
  6. Jodee Weiland

    August 10, 2013 at 3:51 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      August 10, 2013 at 11:05 pm

      Thanks Jodee!

      Reply
  7. JC

    June 14, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      June 15, 2013 at 4:43 pm

      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!

      Reply
  8. Rachel Rose

    June 03, 2013 at 7:59 pm

    Wow, this looks fabulous! So many great recipes on your site, look forward to trying some of these out! Cheers, -R

    Reply
  9. Bonnie Banters

    May 24, 2013 at 8:13 pm

    Looks perfectly wonderful to me!

    Reply
  10. RavieNomNoms

    May 22, 2013 at 8:25 am

    YUM, YUM and more YUM!! I love lasagna, but I don’t eat it very often. This looks so very tasty!

    Reply
  11. Linda

    May 21, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    This looks absolutely amazing!

    Reply
  12. Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)

    May 21, 2013 at 9:45 am

    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. 😉

    Reply
  13. Joan / My Cookie Clinic

    May 20, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      May 20, 2013 at 6:12 pm

      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!

      Reply
  14. Kim | a little lunch

    May 20, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    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!) 🙂

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      May 20, 2013 at 6:12 pm

      you gotta have cheese Kim!! I really didn’t mind giving up red meat, but cheese….never!

      Reply
  15. Kayle (The Cooking Actress)

    May 20, 2013 at 7:54 am

    Mmmm cheese IS amazing! This lasagna is gorgeoussss and looks to die for!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      May 20, 2013 at 8:35 am

      Thanks Kayle, it was a very cheesalicious meal!

      Reply
  16. Michael Toa

    May 20, 2013 at 6:51 am

    Ooh Chef… this is just my kind of meal. Looking at that oozing cheese and sauce makes me salivate… Gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      May 20, 2013 at 8:35 am

      Thank you Michael, you gotta love cheese!

      Reply
  17. Maria Nasir

    May 19, 2013 at 10:33 pm

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis

      May 20, 2013 at 8:36 am

      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!

      Reply

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