Test cook Becky Hays maDE host Julia Collin Davison the ultimate Spinach Lasagna on America’s Test Kitchen, Season 25, Episode 14 (“Pasta with Greens.”)

Why This Works: We preferred cottage cheese to ricotta in our spinach lasagna recipe, for the extra tang and creaminess it lent to the dish. We found certain other components useful as well: no-boil noodles that we soaked in hot tap water for five minutes to soften and blanched spinach from which we wrung out all excess water. Our resulting spinach lasagna recipe was a simple success: fresh, green spinach highlighted by a delicate, savory sauce; tender noodles; and mild, creamy cheese.

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 1¼ pounds curly-leaf spinach, stemmed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 shallots, minced
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3½ cups whole milk
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1½ cups)

FOR THE CHEESE FILLING:

  • 8 ounces (1 cup) whole-milk cottage cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 8 ounces Italian fontina cheese, shredded (2 cups)

Before You Begin: Italian fontina cheese works best in this dish. If it is not available, substitute whole-milk mozzarella. If your baking dish is not broiler-safe, brown the lasagna at 500 degrees for about 10 minutes.

TO PREPARE

SAUCE
STEP ONE. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Add spinach and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until spinach is just wilted, about 5 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer spinach to ice bath and soak until completely cool, about 1 minute; drain spinach and transfer to clean dish towel. Wrap towel tightly around spinach to form ball and wring until dry. Chop spinach and set aside.

STEP TWO. 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 1½ minutes; mixture should not brown.

STEP THREE. Gradually whisk in milk; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, whisking often. Stir in bay leaves, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; reduce heat to low; and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves, then whisk in ½ cup Parmesan until completely melted. Reserve ½ cup sauce in small bowl; press plastic wrap directly against surface and set aside. Transfer remaining sauce to second bowl and stir in spinach, mixing well to break up any clumps; press plastic directly against surface and set aside.

CHEESE FILLING
STEP FOUR. Process cottage cheese, egg, and salt in food processor until very smooth, about 30 seconds.

STEP FIVE. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 2 inches boiling water into 13 by 9-inch broiler-safe baking dish. Slip noodles into water, one at a time, and soak 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. Dry and grease dish.

STEP SIX. Spread reserved sauce evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spread 1 cup spinach mixture evenly over noodles, sprinkle remaining 1 cup Parmesan over spinach mixture, and top cheese with 3 noodles. Spread 1 cup spinach mixture evenly over noodles, sprinkle 1 cup fontina over spinach mixture, and top with 3 noodles. Spread 1 cup spinach mixture evenly over noodles, followed by cheese filling. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles over cheese filling, then cover noodles with remaining spinach mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup fontina over spinach mixture.

STEP SEVEN. 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.