6-8 servings; 15 min mise en place; 20 min cooking; 25 min baking

This lasagna is fulling and really delicious. It will bring you back to sunny Italy. Indeed, it takes time to make, but once you master it, you will not even think about the cooking time. Serve it with a glass of Pinot Grigio and I promise you, everyone will be happy.

Ingredients

• 50 g unsalted butter
• 50 g all-purpose flour
• 500 ml milk
• 1 ts grated nutmeg

• 600 g fresh spinach
• 500 g ricotta
• 1 sweet onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 20 g sun-dried tomatoes
• 150 g chopped black olives
• grated cheese
• 10 lasagna sheets (depending on the size of your casserole)
• 1 tbsp mild olive oil (or any other vegetable oil you prefer)
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C/390 degrees F.

The first part of the lasagna is making the filling. Chop the onion and garlic cloves fine. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and olives in small pieces and put aside. Heat the olive oil in a big cooking pan. Once it’s warm, fry the onion until it starts getting transparent. Add the garlic. Stir well for 2-3 minutes so that it doesn’t burn. Start adding the spinach little by little. It will shrink fast, so don’t worry that your pan is too small. Cook the spinach until it’s soft. Add the ricotta to the spinach. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes until you get a homogeneous mix. Add the chopped tomatoes and olives. Before you take the pan from the stove, add 1/2 of the grated nutmeg, salt and pepper according to your taste. Put aside.

The second part of the lasagna is making of béchamel sauce. Heat the butter in a small sauce pan on a medium heat until it melts. Once the butter turns into a liquid, add the flour. Stir until the mixture starts to change its colour. Then add  the milk to the mixture. Use a whisk to stir the sauce. It will prevent getting lumps and the result will be smooth. Add the rest of the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Use a squared casserole to assemble the lasagna. Cover the bottom of the casserole with 1/3 of the béchamel sauce. Put lasagna sheets on top. Use 1/2 of the spinach/ricotta mixture. Cover it with another layer of lasagna sheets and 1/3 of the béchamel sauce. Repeat the process as you finish with a layer of lasagna sheets. Put the rest of the béchamel sauce on top. Cover it with the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 25 min or until golden brown. Enjoy!