I served all Italian food on Christmas Eve. The favorite in the past two years has been my Alfredo spinach lasagna. I also made the red sauce lasagna.
Ingredients:
- 1 (32 oz) half & half*
- 1 (16 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 stick butter
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- (no salt)
- 2 boxes No boil lasagna noodles
- 2 (10 oz) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed (squeeze the water out)
- 1 (32 oz) container whole milk Ricotta Cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 (16 oz) bag shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan and Romano grated cheese
- 4 Tbsp melted butter
*Have on hand an extra 16 oz in case you need a bit more (I buy store brand).
Steps:
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
- Make your Alfredo sauce in a medium saucepan. Start by melting the stick of butter. Then add the seasonings, whisking all through. Add a 1/4 cup at a time of the half & half. Let it get hot, then alternate with a handful of shredded Parmesan. Continue alternating the half & half and the Parmesan and whisking rapidly until you have 3/4 of a pan of nice rich smooth Alfredo sauce. Turn heat down to the lowest.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add the Ricotta, eggs, grated cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, a bit of parsley, basil & black pepper. About a 1/4 teaspoon of each. Stir it all very well.
- Using a 13 x 9 in. lasagna pan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter on the bottom of the pan. Then add two ladles full of Alfredo sauce to the bottom.
- Now start putting your layers together. Over the sauce, you lay out four pieces of lasagna noodles. It is okay if they overlap. An d if there is bare room on the sides. It grows as it cooks. Next layer 3 jumbo spoonfuls of the Ricotta mixture using half of the mix. Smooth over the noodles evenly. Add 1/2 of your squeezed out spinach, sprinkled with a handful of mozzarella and other grated cheese.
- Next is another layer of noodle (4) then 2 large ladles of alfredo sauce, a handful of mozzarella, then noodles again. Then add the remaining ricotta mix, smooth evenly. Then add the remaining spinach, a handful of mozzarella and grated cheese. Next your last four pieces of noodles. Topping it with 3 ladles of alfredo sauce and add a cup of mozzarella cheese, grated cheese. And if the lasagna looks very thick, you can pour a little extra half & half over it and down the sides.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool. I like making my lasagna the night before. When you chill it, it sets well and cuts better when it is cold. Then after cutting it in squares cold, you reheat for another 30 minutes.
