Spinach & Pine Nut Lasagne

PASTA & SPINACH PINE NUT RICOTTA LASAGNE

This recipe has been adapted from ‘Delia on line’.  You could replace the Spinach and pine nuts Ricotta with other toppings of your choice.  Low fat ingredients can be used as an alternative to full fat.

Sauce:

1½ pints (850ml) milk

2 oz (50g) plain flour

2 oz (50g) butter

1 bay leaf

2½ oz (60g) Parmesan cheese

Salt and Freshly milled black pepper

Lasagne:

1 1b 5oz (600g) Young leaf spinach

8oz (225g) Ricotta cheese

2 oz pine nuts

12 fresh Lasagne sheets

Knob of butter

7 oz (200g) Forgonzola, shropshire blue of cashel blue cheese (crumbled)

7 oz (200g) coarsely grated Mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Place the butter; milk, flour and bay leaf into a pan

Over medium heat continue to whisk until sauce has thickened

Turn the sauce down to lowest simmering point and gently cook for 5 minutes

Now stir in 2 oz (50g) of Parmesan

Remove it from the heat then take out the bay leaf

Place cling film over the sauce to stop it producing a skin

Turning your attention to the spinach, take off the stalks and wash the spinach thoroughly

In the pan add the knob of butter and spinach leaves with added salt if required

Cook the spinach for approximately 2 minutes turning the leaves until tender

Remove the spinach taking squeezing out any excess water

Finally chop the spinach, place in a bowl and add the Ricotta cheese with approximately 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the sauce

Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg

Mix together all the ingredients then add in the Gorgonzola

Place the pine nuts in a small frying pan, tossing frequently so that they don’t burn

Assembling the Lasagne:

Spread a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish with a third of the spinach mixture

Add a few pine nuts then add the pasta so that it fits the dish

Repeat the process this time adding a third of the grated mozzarella and pine nuts

Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella.

Place the Lasagne on the middle shelf of a pre-heated oven, mark 4, 350°F (180°C)

bake for 50-60 minutes

Remove from the oven

Let it settle for 10 minutes before serving

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