I still had a large bag of spinach that I managed to get for cheap (around £2.50 if memory serves). Whatever was left of it was quickly expiring and I had to somehow cook it in one go. I have seen vegeterian lasagnes made of spinach and ricotta before in my travaills. Since spinach was the main ingredient in those pasta dishes, it seemed a good idea to make use of those.
And so I set off to Sainsbury's. While getting the Basics Lasagne sheets was pretty straightforward, a question arose as to what I was going to get to top the lasagne. I noticed that at least for my local branch, Sainsbury's has withdrawn the Basics Grated Mild Cheese and replaced it with Mild Grated Cheddar, which costs slightly more. I decided to go with it anyway, as it seems reminiscent of the grated cheese that most university undergraduates are familiar with.
So I started by frying the spinach with some garlic until it has wilted slightly.
From experience, even though the box states that the lasagne sheets can be used immediately, from experience they dry up when exposed to the oven. I soaked mine in water for a few minutes.
Combine the spinach with some cream cheese, and use it to build a lasagne in brick-and-mortar fashion, starting with the cheese and spinach layer, then lasagne sheet, and so on.
In case anybody is wondering, that was my flatmate's salmon, which he had for dinner. The lasagne was on the right, flanked by sheets of lasagne that have been exposed to the oven. I still have no idea how to use the sheets properly, so any feedback would be highly appreciated.
For those who crave meat, I would imagine adding some spicy sausage or bacon would be great.
| Description | Price per Unit | No. of servings | Trade-up Premium | Trade-up Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasagne Sheets | £0.40 | 250g | +£0.48 for 500g (ie +4p for 250g) | Not known |
| Mild Grated Cheddar | £2.30 | 500g | +£1.10 | Better-tasting cheese |
The sheets can go in dry if you do it properly:
ReplyDelete- Put half of your vegetables in the dish (we use roast veggies). You can skip this if you're doing the meaty version.
- Add a layer of tomato sauce (or bolognese sauce for the meaty version).
- Cover with dry lasagne sheets.
- Pour bechamel sauce (white sauce) over the lasagne sheets.
- Add another layer of veg + red sauce + lasgne + white sauce.
- Top with cheese and bake.
As you can see, the sauces keep the veg and lasagne sheets hydrated but in distinctive layers:)
Thanks for the advice Oria! I guess it certainly helps if the lasagne involved does have a tomato-based sauce. Perhaps I'll leave elaborate creations like the spinach-ricotta lasagne I attempted to kitchen professionals and limit myself to the things I'm more familiar with!
DeleteHmm...you could probably use cheese sauce instead of tomato sauce? Just make another batch of white sauce and stir in the ricotta (or soft cheese, cheddar, whatever). Or leave it to the experts:P
DeleteThat's definitely a possibility. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog! I'm always in the market for ideas, so if you have any feel free to comment on whatever happens to be my latest post! Speak soon!
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