Spinach Lasagna Bechamel

Photo: flickr user Danielle Scott

Ingredients

6 cups milk

1 cup butter

1 cup white flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups onions, chopped

2 pounds spinach, frozen, thawed and drained

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound ricotta or cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

1 pkg. lasagna noodles

Preparation

Sauce: Heat milk until hot but not boiling. In another pan melt butter. Whisk in flour, cook 3 to 4 minutes, stir constantly. Add milk gradually. Stir until sauce thickens.

Lasagna: Saute garlic and onions in oil until translucent. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup of parsley. Set aside. Mix rest of parsley, ricotta or cottage cheese, eggs, 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Cook noodles al dente. Better yet, don't cook the noodles. Just layer the raw noodles in the pan as you would if they were cooked.

Oil a large pan, layer ingredients in following order. First, 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Bechamel sauce, 1/3 of noodles, half spinach mixture, all of Mozzarella. Next 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce, 1/3 of noodles, all the ricotta mixture, the rest of the spinach mixture. Finally, 1 1/2 to 2 cups sauce, remaining noodles, the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle 1 1/3 cup of Parmesan on top.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow 10 to 15 minutes for lasagna to set before serving.