The Big Lasagna

Adapted from: Samin Nosrat's The Big Lasagna (YouTube, NYT recipe)

• Ricotta filling (below)

• Béchamel sauce (below)

• Tomato sauce (below)

• 2 (9 ounce) packages dried no boil lasagna noodles (I used Barilla’s oven-ready flat lasagna noodles)

• 1 ½ ounces grated Parmesan, Asiago or Grana Padano (1/2 cup)

• 4-6 ounces grated whole-milk mozzarella (enough to sprinkle liberally on top of the lasagna)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Move the highest rack to a position that is ~6 inches below the top of the oven.

2. Layer 1: coat bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch metal, glass or ceramic baking pan with ~¾ cup béchamel.

3. Layer 2: flat oven ready lasagna noodles.

4. Layer 3: ⅓ of the ricotta mixture.

5. Layer 4: lasagna noodles.

6. Layer 5: ⅓ of tomato sauce.

7. Layer 6: lasagna noodles.

8. Layer 7: 1 cup of béchamel and ¼ grated parmesan sprinkled on top.

9. Repeat layers 2 through 7 twice. On the last layer of béchamel, cover with parchment paper to avoid sticking and then cover the whole dish tightly with foil. Place 9×13 covered pan on a baking sheet (to catch any overflow) and bake for 40 minutes.

10. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and parchment paper. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and return to the oven uncovered.

11. Baking for another ~20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling on the surface. If your cheese does not have little brown spots after 20 minutes, you can broil it for a minute or two but watch carefully so you don’t burn the top!

12. Cool for at least 15 minutes and then dig in! I like to serve with freshly grated parmesan and crushed red pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 pound fresh mature spinach, washed and ends trimmed (note: get more than a pound because the stems weigh more than you think!)

• Fine sea salt

• 2 pounds whole-milk ricotta (about 4 cups)

• 6 ounces grated whole-milk mozzarella (2 cups)

• 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (1 heaping cup)

• 20 large fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat a large skillet on high heat. Add oil and wilt spinach in batches with a pinch of salt.

2. Remove wilted spinach and place on a paper-towel lined baking sheet or large plate to cool.

3. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, and a generous pinch of salt in a large bowl.

4. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the cooled spinach. Chop cooled spinach into small pieces to avoid any large chunks.

5. Mix spinach into ricotta mixture.

6. Taste and adjust for salt.

Samin notes that you can make this filling up to one day in advance and store in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before assembling the lasagna.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

• ½ cup all purpose flour

• 4 cups whole milk

• Fine sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Ground nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.

2. Melt butter then whisk in flour.

3. Reduce heat to low and cook for ~15 minutes. Stir or whisk regularly to avoid browning. (Samin shows the different stages this goes through in the YouTube video so check it out to make sure you are on track)

4. The mixture will foam and turn into looking like “wet sand” while any bubbles will become much smaller. The butter will also start to separate. At this point, start to slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens.

5. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

6. Turn heat back down to low and continue cooking while whisking regularly for 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Once the sauce is thick and smooth (in her video you can see how thick it needs to be), taste for salt and adjust.

8. If there are lumps, blend with an immersion blender.

9. Directly on the béchamel, cover with parchment paper to avoid a film developing and set aside for assembly.

Samin notes that you can also make this a day in advance and store in the fridge overnight. Be sure to still cover the surface with parchment paper and bring back to room temperature before assembling the lasagna.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 ½ cups diced yellow onions, red onions, or shallots (I like to do a mix)

• Fine sea salt

• 7 garlic cloves, sliced

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 (28 ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes, San Marzano style

• 10 roughly chopped basil leaves and stems, ends trimmed off

• 1 ½ tsp oregano

• 1 tsp parsley

• ½ – 1 tsp crushed red pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat Dutch oven or a medium pot over medium heat. (A pot you don’t mind using an immersion blender on)

2. Add olive oil and once it shimmers add onions and a pinch of salt.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 16-18 minutes while stirring regularly until onions are lightly golden.

4. While onions are cooking, pour the canned tomatoes into a large bowl. Crush using your hands. Pour 1 ½ cups of water into the can, swirl, and add water to the bowl.

5. After onions are soft and lightly golden, create a well in the middle and add garlic. Cook for ~2 minutes.

6. Add tomato paste and cook until the color deepens, 3-5 minutes.

7. Add canned tomatoes and season with salt, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper. Add basil as well.

8. Let sauce come to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for ~45 minutes.

9. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce. Taste and adjust salt.

Samin notes you can make this a day in advance and store in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before assembling. You can also freeze this sauce for up to 3 months.