- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the lasagna
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, or spaghetti sauce
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chuck beef
- 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1 pound lasagna sheets, cooked al dente
- 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bechamel sauce:
In a large pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Simmer and whisk until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Brown the beef in a saute pan, with extra-virgin olive oil. Remove from heat and drain.
In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.
Wrap and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw overnight. Heat oven to 350. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.
