Lasagne Verdi al Forno Recipe
Add a photo
1 of 3 Photos

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."

This Kitchen Approved Recipe has an average star rating of 4.7 Rate/Review | Read Reviews (43)

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

Servings  (Help)

Calculate

 

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: 599 | Total Fat: 33.2g | Cholesterol: 193mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

ADVERTISEMENT

 view all reviews »  

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Sep. 13, 2004 by Kelsolake   view full review
D*MN! is all I and my family can say! I took this to a big family get together and it was...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 16, 2009 by Jenwee99 Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)  view full review
The best lasagne I have ever had. I am never going back to the American version. The bechemel...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 24, 2005 by KATHY A   view full review
Alrighty, I found the pasta easy to make if you use your food processor. A good marble or...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 31, 2003 by JOOANDLEEANN   view full review
We tried this once with regular lasagna noodles and were most impressed with the sauce. We...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 11, 2003 by IMPACT   view full review
Fantastic recipe, although, not for someone in a hurry. I made an alternate version of this...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Jul. 7, 2003 by SLIND   view full review
This lasagne is divine. It's beautiful to look at, the fresh pasta melts in your mouth, the...
The reviewer gave this recipe 3 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 14, 2010 by Spiderella Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)  view full review
This was pretty good, but I'm not a fan of bacon or ham so I left it out. The veggies were...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 18, 2010 by lynne   view full review
This so goooood! I've made it several times, exactly as written and its been perfect every...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 30, 2005 by SILVERSURFERUK   view full review
Excellent recipe - so nice to see it done properly. I always infuse the milk for my bechamel...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.7 star rating.
Reviewed on Jul. 7, 2003 by LAPETITEVOLEUSE   view full review
Yummy! I'm a college student living in a dorm and this was my first time cooking lasagna. My...

 

recipe box See something worth saving?
Register now to save all your favorites in your Recipe Box.

Sign up for FREE Now!

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Videos

Quick Chicken Piccata

See how to make a classic Italian chicken dish.

Four Cheese Pasta

Learn how to make a creamy four-cheese pasta sauce in less than 10 minutes.

Gnocchi in Fontina Sauce

What's cooking in Long Beach? The perfect potato gnocchi.

 
Select Your Version:  Argentina  |  Australia & New Zealand  |  Brazil  |  Canada  |  China  |  France  |  Germany  |  India  |  Japan  |  Korea  |  Mexico  |  Netherlands  |  Poland

Quebec  |  Russia  |  SE Asia  |  United Kingdom & Ireland  |  United States