Spinach Lasagna Recipe (2024)

You can use a ricer to quickly get rid of every bit of excess water in frozen spinach. It's much easier, works better, and will save you a lot of paper towels. :) I learned that nearly 2 decades ago from Martha Stewart.

If you use frozen spinach as I did, this recipe would need four standard boxes. An even easier way to drain the spinach is to completely thaw it in the box then open the END of the box and squeeze the box thoroughly to force out all the moisture. Works like a charm and doesn't dirty the ricer.

Or how about adding a beaten egg and a little nutmeg to the ricotta?

I think adding egg is a must. My rule is 1 egg for each cup of Ricotta.

I have made this with fresh, uncooked spinach and it comes out delicious, as the spinach cooks sufficiently during baking. I also find I use fewer noodles, as only 3 fit across in a typical baking pan, and 3 layers of noodles seem sufficient. I also add onion and often diced carrot and celery to the sauce, as I always use homemade sauce.

It went much smoother once I realized how easy it was if you mixed the spinach, ricotta, salt, pepper and tomato sauce together in a bowl first. Saved me so much time. I also added onion and garlic into the mixture. Made it a simple 3 step process: noodles, filling, shredded cheese. Done.

I prefer cottage cheese (large curd if available) with a beaten egg and salt and pepper, to Ricotta. Try it, less gummy and lighter.

Family staple, now that oldest daughter is vegetarian. Don't be shy with the spinach. We often use frozen chopped spinach as a time saver.

Awesome recipe, easy to make on a weeknight if you use frozen spinach and no-bake noodles! I kept calories down by using part-skim ricotta and mozzarella and it still tasted fantastic. Only thing I would add is more spices - I added basil, oregano, garlic salt and red pepper flakes to the ricotta (along with an egg!) and the extra flavor in the finished dish was worth it. Will definitely make this again.

What size baking dish is recommended?

I always mix very very finely minced onion and garlic in my ricotta at least 6 but up to 24 hours before assembling a dish. It soaks up the flavor and vastly improves lasagna, manacotti, etc. Any egg is added later. Make your tomato sauce very thick (I always make my own from home canned tomatoes) and skip blanching the fresh spinach. Frozen, yep, you gotta get the water out.

A commenter: I have made this with fresh, uncooked spinach and it comes out delicious, as the spinach cooks sufficiently during baking. I also find I use fewer noodles, as only 3 fit across in a typical baking pan, and 3 layers of noodles seem sufficient. I also add onion and often diced carrot and celery to the sauce, as I always use homemade sauce.

I used fresh mozzarella -- all of a 1# ball of it. T'was delicious.

Used 3 10oz boxes frozen spinach

This is an easy recipe to use as a base. Sometimes I add sausage or meatballs. Or sautéed mushrooms or roasted zucchini or broccoli. Add an egg and some nutmeg or red pepper flakes or roasted red peppers. And soaking noodles in hot water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients works far better than boiling them. IMO lasagne is better baked, chilled, cut and reheated in individual pasta bowls.

I doubled the recipe to make an extra one for a neighbor. I purchased 6 cubes of frozen spinach but probably only needed 3 or 4 for the double batch. (I will make making a spinach and feta quiche with the leftover thawed spinach).

First time I tried this recipe I used fresh spinach. 1 1/2 lb was way too much - about double what I needed. Second time I sautéed the spinach with shallots and onion. It was so much more flavorful.

OMG Gigi thanks. I honestly never thought of using my ricer. What a fabulous thing to learn today!

I’ve made this a few times and some things I’ve changed for ease. I combine the ricotta and chopped spinach instead of spreading both separately. This seems to keep the lasagna in better shape after cooking. I don’t bother to boil the noodles, instead I assemble the layers and cover with foil. Then I wait about an hour to bake (lasagna in the fridge), then take it out and let it come to room temperature. I bake with the foil on for the 30 minutes.

A couple comments regarding posted shortcuts: although it is possible to prepare the lasagna without cooking the spinach, uncooked spinach doesn't pack as tightly and so it may be difficult to use the recommended quantity in a standard pan. Softening the noodles in warm water is a good tip however.

I have an abundant broccoli rabe crop in my garden, so I substituted the greens for spinach, chopping, steaming, and squeezing the excess liquid with a towel. Thin layers of broccoli rabe were delicious.

I used a lot more cheese. I think that was because I used a bigger pan, 9 x 13. I also used about 6 cups of sauce.

This is a great and easy lasagne. Many thanks to the person who suggested not pre-boiling the noodles. A quick search of Serious Eats turned up a Kenji Alt-Lopez article on that very issue. And as an added plus, soaked (not boiled) noodles don’t stick together. Double win!

Add onion, garlic a few herbs

This lasagna appealed to both a vegetarian teen + foodie Grandma. All our guests had 2 helpings. Like others, I added onion and garlic to the tomato sauce, plus some herbs de Provence for pizzaz. No-boil noodles and combining filling ingredients tomato sauce, ricotta and spinach saved time (I first mixed an egg into the ricotta). This was SO much easier than other lasagnas I have made, but tastes divine. Another Bittman triumph!

This was delicious...I took a tip from someone else who said she mixed the cheeses, sauce and spinach together with a beaten egg. Easier this way instead of adding each separately. Thank you so much, Mr. Bittman.

Add in some sautéed Italian sausage and you are approaching Nirvana!

Wow. This was somehow way more than the sum of its parts! I used a double batch of Heidi Swanson’s (101cookbooks.com) 5-minute tomato sauce and followed the tip of mixing my spinach (a full 16-oz clamshell, chopped in the food processor, sautéed with olive oil and a clove of garlic) with 3/4 of the cheese. I did add some nutmeg , salt & pepper to the spinach/cheese mix. I have spent a lot more time making fussy lasagne and not been as happy :)

Great recipe. I've tried so many Spinach Lasagna recipes and this is the winner. We always make our own fresh noodles and Marcella Hazen's Tomato sauce (adding a pinch of red pepper flakes) and I add 1/2-1 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg to the ricotta. But other than those minor variations, follow recipe as written. Always turns out great.