Gluten Free Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne

Updated this entry to improve the cheese sauce!

Me and the husband made this last night, it was yummy and I'm eating the last quarter as I type this. Heating it up reminded me to blog the recipe! Sorry for the lack of actual measurements, the tubs and bags are sainsburys measures, so will add them soon when i look them up. This makes enough to fill a square lasagna dish quite deep, make more if you are using a large rectangular one.

gluten free corn lasagna sheets 1 box, sainsburys is good
spinach leaves 1 big bag, washed
ricotta 2 tubs
panchetta cubes 1 handful
onion 1, chopped finely
large fresh tomatoes 10,skinned, deseeded and chopped
mozzarella 1 large ball
Parmesan 100 gms, grated
cheddar cheese 100 gms grated
soft goats cheese 1 small tub (optional)
pine nuts handful, toasted
garlic 2 cloves, chopped
milk just a dash
olive oil
salt and pepper
nutmeg
red wine vinegar
basil leaves 10, chopped
dried oregano 1/2 tsp
dove farm gluten free flour 2tbsp

You need to make three sauces for this, I do them at the same time, doing a stage of each while things are cooling or simmering.

Spinach & Ricotta Sauce:

Wilt the spinach in a pan with a little water for 3 minutes, put in a sieve and leave to drain and cool. Meanwhile fry the panchetta till the fat runs and then add half the chopped onion and soften gently, drain on kitchen roll. When your spinach is cool squeeze to get rid of most of the water and chop up. Combine the chopped spinach, onion and panchetta, two of ricotta, pine nuts, goats cheese (if using), salt and pepper and a really good grind of nutmeg.

Tomato Sauce:

Gently soften half of the onion for around 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook gently for one minute, then add the tomatoes. Simmer till reduced for at least 20 minutes, add some tomato puree if things look pale. Finish the sauce with salt (may need quite a bit), pepper, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar and the chopped basil and oregano. This sauce can be a bit runny as the pasta will soak some of this up.

Cheese Sauce:

Put half a pint of milk in a pan with a couple of bay leaves, a big blob of butter, a good grating of black peopper and nutmeg and two teaspoons of gluten free dove farm plain white flour. Slowly bring to the boil, the butter will melt and the flour will thicken. Take off the heat when the flour has cooked (taste test!), and bung in a mig handfull of grated cheddar or parmesan, oh and scoop out the bay leaves!

Once you have your sauces make up your lasagna from the bottom like this:

Torn mozzarella

Cheese sauce

Lasagna sheets

1/2 tomato sauce

Lasagna Sheets

1/2 spinach Sauce

Lasagna Sheets

1/2 tomato sauce

Lasagna Sheets

1/2 Spinach sauce

When you put in your lasagna sheets, brake little bits of the corners to the fit into the dish properly and cross each layer opposite ways so it holds together when you cook it. Use broken bits to fill the gaps.

Cook for 45-60 minutes at 200, till bubbly and puffed up. If it starts getting too black but it doesnt look cooked just bung some foil on the top. I give it a poke with a knife in the middle to make sure the pasta is done. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle with a little olive oil and some chopped basil if you like. Nice served with a crunchy green salad with a balsamic and olive oil dressing and a nice chilled glass of white wine. Do some GF Garlic bread in the oven too if you can get any, i just use a GF baguette, make slashes in it, stuff with garlic butter and bake in the oven. You will still stink the next day if you eat a whole one though!

Remove panchetta to make vegetarian!