Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

A while back I wanted lasagna, but I didn't own any ground beef or tomatoes or anything else to make traditional lasagna. I did, however, have a bunch of stuff I originally intended to use for a variation on a Greek pie. Well, what the heck... I like white lasagna, so let's see what happens! As it turns out, it was fabulous, and it freezes really well as a bonus.

It seems like a lot of ingredients, but it really isn't. Lasagna noodles, spinach, ricotta, Italian cheese blend, feta, artichoke hearts, black olives, butter and flour for roux, some seasonings, milk, and cream. I'd already defrosted and was draining the spinach before I took the picture, so that's why it's in my colander instead of in its box.

I have taken zero pictures of the first step, which is to bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add your lasagna noodles. Boil them about 10 minutes, until they're done al dente, then drain. Lay them on a damp kitchen towel in a single layer until ready to use. While the noodles are boiling, move on to making the sauce.

First step in any good cream sauce is roux. Melt your butter, then add flour and whisk over low heat until it turns golden brown. It takes a while, but do not give in to the temptation to turn the heat up! It'll burn, and you'll have to start over or your sauce will taste like charcoal. Since this is for a white sauce, I prefer to keep the roux fairly light.

Slowly whisk in the milk, cream, and some seasonings, then continue whisking about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Notice how low I have the heat (it's the bottom dial, the top one is for the burner the noodles are on). Again, this takes longer, but your sauce won't burn.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta and some of the shredded Italian cheese blend. In a small bowl (which I neglected to photograph), toss the feta cheese with some Greek seasoning. Now is a lovely time to preheat the oven, by the way.

Spread a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish, then lay 3 noodles on top of the sauce.

Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then scatter half the feta cheese mixture, then 1/3 remaining sauce.

Top with three more noodles, then scatter the spinach (you'll have to rip it apart with your hands as it'll be in a big lump after squeezing it dry). Scatter the chopped artichoke hearts over the spinach, then another 1/3 of the sauce.

Three more noodles, then remaining ricotta mixture, then scatter the black olives. I bought whole black olives and sliced them myself, but feel free to buy the ones that are already sliced. I can never find them in a large can and it bugs me to buy multiple cans and spend more money, which is why I slice.

Top with the remaining feta cheese mixture and the rest of the sauce, spreading the sauce to cover as much of the surface as possible.

Bake for about 45 minutes, then scatter the rest of the shredded Italian cheese blend and bake an additional 5 or so minutes to melt the cheese.

I left it in just long enough to start browning, but watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes to firm before cutting and serving. You can cut it right away if you want, but you'll have a heck of a mess on your plate.

You really don't want too large a piece because this is some rich, so 15 servings out of a 9x13 pan is pretty accurate. As I mentioned earlier, this freezes well. I stored mine in Ziploc containers, and have both let it defrost and microwaved it straight from the freezer. It's better to let it defrost, but if you don't mind a little extra water in the sauce (I soaked it up with paper towel), then straight out of the freezer into the microwave is fine.

I have no idea how long this might last in the freezer. We ate the rest of it within about 4 months, so at least that long.

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

Serves 15

12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning (I used Greek Seasoning with Feta from Spice and Tea Merchants)
2 (10 ounce) frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts (drained and roughly chopped)
1 (6 ounce) can black olives (drained)
1 pint ricotta cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) Italian blend cheese, shredded
2 (4 ounce) feta cheese, crumbled
1 (8 ounce) mozzarella cheese, shredded

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and boil, stirring gently to prevent sticking, 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and separate; set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in flour. Continue whisking over medium-low heat until roux reaches a golden brown colour. Slowly whisk in milk, cream, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning. Continue whisking until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F; coat a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Mix 2 cups Italian cheese into ricotta cheese. Toss feta cheese with 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning. 

Spread about 1/3 cup sauce in bottom of pan. Lay 3 noodles over sauce. Spread half of ricotta mixture over noodles, then half of feta, and 1/3 of remaining sauce.

Top with 3 more noodles. Scatter spinach over noodles, then artichoke hearts, then 1/3 more sauce.

Top with 3 more noodles, then remaining ricotta mixture, then black olives. Top with remaining feta and sauce.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until bubbly around edges. Top with remaining cup Italian blend cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese melts and starts to brown. Let stand 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Per Serving:

Calories: 478

Total Fat: 22.4g

Saturated Fat: 12.7g

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 67mg

Sodium: 735mg

Total Carbohydrates: 45.5g

Dietary Fiber: 7.6g

Sugars: 2.8g

Protein: 26.2g