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Lasagne Verdi al Forno

By: Arianna  
"A recipe from my home in Emilia-Romagna, Italy; this lasagna made with spinach pasta cannot be beat. It's excellent if you want to impress some guests, or even yourself. It may be a bit time consuming, but it's well worth the TLC you put into it."

Rating: This weblink has been rated 31 times with an average star rating of 4.7 Read Reviews (31)

Rate/Review | 1,118 people have saved this

Prep Time:
1 Hr
Cook Time:
30 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr 30 Min

Servings  (Help)

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Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9x13 dish
 

Ingredients

  • PASTA
  • 5 ounces spinach - rinsed, stemmed, and dried
  • 2 eggs
  • 5/8 cup semolina flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  •  
  • RAGU
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 1/2 ounces lean ground pork
  • 3 1/2 ounces lean ground beef
  • 3 1/2 ounces minced ham
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  •  
  • 3 1/2 ounces chicken livers, trimmed and chopped
  •  
  • BECHAMEL
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups warm milk
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg
  •  
  • CHEESE
  • 1 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 pint ricotta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

  1. For the pasta dough: Steam the spinach in a steamer or over boiling water until bright green, 2 minutes. Squeeze to remove excess moisture and process in a food processor to make a paste. Combine spinach with eggs, semolina, and salt and process until smooth. Stir in enough of the flour to make a smooth dough. Knead briefly, cover and set aside.
  2. For the ragu: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute bacon, carrot, celery and onion until onion is translucent. Stir in ground pork, ground beef and minced ham, and cook until browned. Stir in tomato paste, oregano and beef stock. (Reserve the chicken livers for later.) Season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
  3. For the bechamel: While the ragu is simmering, combine 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk to make a roux. Remove from heat, let rest one minute, then whisk in warm milk. Return to heat, simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season with salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
  4. To cook pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. On a floured surface, divide pasta dough into three portions. Roll each portion out to a thin sheet. Have ready an ice water bath. Cook each sheet 3 minutes in the boiling water; remove from the boiling water and dip in the ice water; drain and dry on a clean, dry cloth.
  5. To finish the ragu: Stir the chicken livers into the simmering sauce. Cook 1 minute, remove from heat and set aside.
  6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
  7. To assemble lasagna: Place one pasta sheet in bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread one-third of the ragu, one-quarter of the bechamel, one-third of the ricotta, and one-quarter of the parmesan over the pasta. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining bechamel and parmesan and dot with butter.
  8. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 631 | Total Fat: 35.4g | Cholesterol: 207mg

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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Sep. 13, 2004 by Kelsolake 
D*MN! is all I and my family can say! I took this to a big family get together and it was... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 16, 2009 by Jenwee99 Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
The best lasagne I have ever had. I am never going back to the American version. The bechemel... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 24, 2005 by KATHY A 
Alrighty, I found the pasta easy to make if you use your food processor. A good marble or... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 31, 2003 by JOOANDLEEANN 
We tried this once with regular lasagna noodles and were most impressed with the sauce. We... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 11, 2003 by IMPACT 
Fantastic recipe, although, not for someone in a hurry. I made an alternate version of this... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 30, 2005 by SILVERSURFERUK 
Excellent recipe - so nice to see it done properly. I always infuse the milk for my bechamel... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jul. 7, 2003 by LAPETITEVOLEUSE 
Yummy! I'm a college student living in a dorm and this was my first time cooking lasagna. My... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 21, 2006 by NERIANA 
Since I'm vegetarian, I left out the ragu and used a good jarred sauce instead. I also... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jul. 7, 2003 by SLIND 
This lasagne is divine. It's beautiful to look at, the fresh pasta melts in your mouth, the... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Apr. 30, 2004 by JOHNMICHAELSPRINGER 
Fantastic recipe. I added 1/2 cup of wine to the ragu at the time I added the tomato paste... MORE

 
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