How to make lasagna 🇮🇹

Start by preparing the bechamel. Melt the butter in a pot

Add 50g of flour once the butter is melted

Stir the flour for 4-5 minutes on medium high to for the roux

while constantly stirring add the milk, making sure to not form any flour clog.

Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Keep cooking and stirring for 15 minutes under low heat, until the desired consistency is achieved. You want your bechamel to be fluid for this recipe.

Squeeze your boiled spinach, and place them in a blender cup.

Using a hand blender puree the spinach, if you struggle add back a little bit of water, the least you add the better it would be later.

Time to make the dough for the pasta sheets. Make a pit of flour and crack the eggs in the middle.

Work the eggs together with the flour and the add in the spinach puree.

Knead the dough until you reach a tough and dry texture, you may need to add water of flour, accordingly to the water content of the spinach and the size of the eggs.

Wrap in film and set aside for 15 minutes.

Roll the pasta to 1mm thick sheets (I like it fairly thick in this recipe, you can do thinner if you want)

Using the baking pan you will use as measurement, cut the pasta sheets to fit perfectly inside it, make 5-6 of them.

Lay the pasta sheets, dusted with flour on both sides so that they don't stick to each other and set them aside ready to be cooked.

You can prepare the ragu using one of my guides, in case you did it before, you may have some jar of it around, ready to use. In that case just run it quickly in a pan, to reduce the consistency

Prepare a large pot with salted boiling water and a bowl with cold water right next to it, you will have to act fairly quickly, be careful with the hot water.

One at a time sink the past sheets in the boiling water

After 1-2 minutes, when the sheet starts floating, take it out of the boiling water and sink it in the cold water. This will help stopping the cooking process.

Lay down a clean kitchen towel, take out the pasta sheets from the cold water and put them on the towel to drain. Using a second towel drain the water on top of the pasta sheet as well.

Repeat

Better to do one sheet at a time to avoid overcooking them.

You have now all the components ready, time to start layering this! Take the baking tray and cover bottom and sides with butter.

Spread a small quantity of ragu at the base.

Cover wit ha first sheet of pasta.

Scoop some bechamel on top

Spread the bechamel evenly

Repeat wit the ragu

A nice dust of freshly shaved parmesan will complete the layer. Cover with a pasta sheet and repeat.

After adding the last sheet on top it's time to cover everything. spread the remaining bechamel on top, if you have some ragu left you can mix it to the bechamel in forming the last layer.

And of course the very last topping has to be another good amount of parmesan (never too much)

Bake in a 160C preheat oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top looks like this. (cover the top with foil for the first half hour) Let cool down for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!