Video: Spinach Lasagna with Sourdough Noodles
Making a lasagna is a labor of love. It takes a lot of time compared to other recipes, especially when you make it completely from scratch! It is a special occasion meal for my family because it usually takes me a few days to prepare. While you can certainly make this entire recipe in one day, I would recommend spacing out a few hours to work on it if this is your first time making a from scratch lasagna. Otherwise, it is perfectly fine to prep all of the assembled ingredients (noodles, red sauce, cheese sauces, etc) a few days beforehand. This saves you time and labor!
This lasagna is a beautiful marriage of delicious Italian cheeses, fresh spinach, tangy sourdough noodles, and a hint of spiciness from the red sauce that does not overpower the recipe. It’s delicious! I hope that you love it.
Ingredients:
sourdough NOODLES:
1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp water (optional)
sausage RED SAUCE:
2 tbsp lard or olive oil
1 lb Italian pork sausage
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz tomato paste
28 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme
MOZZARELLA CHEESE SAUCE:
4 tbsp salted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup parmesan, shredded
1/2 cup gruyere, shredded
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
salt and pepper
SPINACH RICOTTA:
16 oz ricotta cheese
4 cups fresh spinach, divided
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan for topping!
recipe:
MAKE THE NOODLES:
In a medium bowl or standing electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the sourdough starter discard, flour, eggs, and olive oil. Begin to mix until a stiff dough forms. It should be slightly sticky and uniform, a bit more dense than a bread dough. If it is too dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until no dry bits show.
Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit for at least 10 minutes or up to an hour. If you do not want to use it right away, wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
MAKE THE RED SAUCE:
In a skillet, heat the fat over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and brown. Add in the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste until it coats the meat and onion. Pour in the diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add in the milk or cream and bring to a boil again. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Lower the sauce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
If you would like, you can make this the day ahead and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
MAKE THE MOZZARELLA CHEESE SAUCE:
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until a paste forms. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the roux lightly browns and gives off a nutty aroma.
Slowly pour in the milk, whisking all the while, and bring to a boil until the sauce begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
MAKE THE SPINACH RICOTTA:
Place 2 cups of the spinach aside in a bowl.
In a food processor or blender, combine the ricotta, 2 cups spinach, garlic, and olive oil. Pulse until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper. This can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a 9x13” baking dish, place a few tablespoons of the sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread evenly.
Divide the pasta into 4 sections. In a pasta machine or attachment, begin to roll out the noodles. I like to do this one layer at time, but you can also roll them out ahead of time. I use a kitchenaid pasta attachment and prefer my lasagna noodles rolled out to size 5 - if you are using something different, they should be thin enough to just see your hand through the dough.
Place two large noodles over the thin sauce layer. Next, layer about 1/3 of the red sauce over the noodles.
Then place about 1/3 of the spinach ricotta mixture over the red sauce. Layer a handful of fresh spinach over the ricotta mixture. Next, layer on 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese sauce over the spinach. Add the next layer of noodles.
Continue this until you reach the fourth layer of noodles. You should be out of sauces at this point. Sprinkle the top layer of noodles with the 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan.
Spray a piece of tinfoil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes or until the cheeses are lightly browned.
Let sit for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
notes:
You can make each piece of the lasagna ahead of time, about 2-3 days in advance! Prep all of the ingredients and store in the refrigerator.
If you would like to assemble your lasagna and bake it later, that works perfectly fine. Simply assemble all of the layers, cover with plastic or tinfoil, and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Bake as directed in the recipe.
This lasagna can be frozen unbaked or baked and reheated. To reheat, thaw and bake at 350 for about 35-45 minutes or until heated through.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe! It is a lot to read, but when you break down each of the pieces, it is not a very difficult recipe. All it takes is time to make everything, which is why I like to make a lot of my sauces ahead of time to save my sanity. Homemade lasagna is the best! Please enjoy watching the video that I made for this recipe above; it was a labor of love and I hope that it makes the recipe easier to follow!
xoxo Kayla
My dress is from Little Women Atelier.
My baking dish | My Kitchenaid Mixer | Kitchenaid Pasta Attachments
