Spinach Lasagna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

I love this easy recipe for Lasagna. It wasn't long ago that I had a couple of friends celebrating their 20 year anniversary.  I invited them over and decided to make them a special anniversary dinner. I wanted to make my special Lasagna with a side salad and some crusty Italian bread.  Now my Lasagna is to die for.  I spend most of the day making it with Italian Sausage, ground chuck, noodles, 4 cheeses and my homemade “cook all-day” sauce. 

The night before they called to make sure I remembered they were both vegetarians.  I had forgotten. But I learned a long time ago, if you are going to call yourself a home chef, you better have PLAN B in your back pocket.  And I did and it turned out better than any Lasagna I have made!  So rich and creamy with that Northern Italian flare. And you do not miss the meat!  It took me all of 50 minutes to put it together and bake it!  Seriously folks, this is a keeper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Spinach Lasagna

 

Sauce

1¼ pounds fresh baby spinach, with stems removed

Salt and pepper

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 shallots, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3½ cups whole milk

¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Cheese Filling

8 ounces (1 cup) whole milk cottage cheese

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon salt

12 no-boil lasagna noodles (or use freshly made)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese

1 cup Shredded whole milk mozzarella

 

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are softened, about 4 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes; mixture should not brown. Gradually whisk in milk; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, whisking often. Stir in  nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; reduce heat to low; and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 10 minutes.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 Add spinach and stir. Simmer until spinach has wilted and blended in. Whisk in ½ cup Parmesan until completely melted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spread sauce evenly over bottom of dish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrange noodles in single layer on top of sauce.

 FOR THE CHEESE FILLING:

 Add the cottage cheese, eggs and salt to a large bowl.  Blend with a hand mixer until very smooth, about 30 seconds. Add in one egg and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and mix by hand. Add a tablespoon of parsley and set aside.

Spread 1 cup of the cheese filling evenly over the noodles and sprinkle ½ cup of the Parmesan on top. Then top with more noodles. Next, spread the sauce on top of the noodles and sprinkle 1 cup Fontina over spinach mixture. Continue with more noodles and alternating sauce and cheese mixture, ending up with noodles.  Then top with remaining cheeses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and bake until edges are just bubbling, about 20 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove dish from oven and remove foil. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Broil lasagna until cheese on top becomes spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

 

NOTES:

·       Italian Fontina cheese works best in this dish. If it is not available, substitute whole-milk mozzarella.

·       Make sure your baking dish is broiler-safe. If not, brown the lasagna at 500 degrees for about 10 minutes.·      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

•     I used freshly made noodles so no preparation is necessary. However, if you are going to use No Boil noodles, lay them on a rimmed sheet pan and pour about 2 inches of water over them.  Soak them until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of paring knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean dish towels; discard water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

My Delicious Frozen Strawberry Pie

 My Delicious Frozen Strawberry Pie

What can I say?  It’s ridiculously easy to make. It’s smooth and creamy and has the slightest tang from the yogurt. It’s quick and simple and out of this world delicious. It's kind of like cheese cake only much better.  A cross between ice cream and cheese cake. It’s the perfect spring or summer pie and you can’t eat just one slice.  Enough said.

 My Delicious Frozen Strawberry Pie

 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (8 ounce) containers Cool Whip, thawed

1 (6 ounce) Yo plait Strawberry yogurt

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust

 

Using a hand mixer, beat the sweetened condensed milk and the two blocks of cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fold in the yogurt and Cool Whip and stir until smooth. Fold in the strawberries and pour into your 9-inch crust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a spatula, smooth out the top so that it fills the crust to the top.

Freeze pie until solid, 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thaw slightly, slice and serve.

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

Cream Cheese Strawberry French Toast

 Cream Cheese Strawberry French Toast

 

Remember that Frozen Strawberry Pie I made this past week?  I had leftover filling and wondered what I could do with it. There wasn’t enough to make another pie but just enough to make this incredible Stuffed Strawberry French toast this morning.  OMG.  Decadent and delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream Cheese Strawberry French Toast

4 thick slices of bread (regular works too)

2 tablespoons butter for frying

 Filling:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (6 ounce) Yo Plait Strawberry yogurt

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

  Egg Batter:

 

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filling

Using a hand mixer, beat the sweetened condensed milk and the two blocks of cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth. Fold in the chopped strawberries and the yogurt using a wooden spoon or spatula. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gently spread a dollop of the cream cheese mixture on one slice of the bread and top with another slice. Repeat with remaining bread. Refrigerate the prepared bread slices while you prepare the batter. This helps the filling stay firm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the egg batter, beat the eggs in a shallow bowl. Add in the milk, vanilla, and ground cinnamon and mix well. Set aside. Remove bread slices from refrigerator.

 

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. While butter is melting, dip the bread in the egg and milk mixture just enough to coat each side. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Place in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep warm in the oven on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees F. until ready to serve. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve warm with butter, maple syrup, fruit, whipped cream, or powdered sugar.

Want a bite? 

  

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.