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Spinach and Four Cheese Lasagne

Nothing beats a good lasagne in the comfort stakes and the combination and balance of the cheeses really delivers on flavour. Top tip here is to make sure the vegetables are as dry as possible as you don’t want a soggy lasagne. Drain the spinach and tomatoes well and make sure the courgette steams off most of its moisture.

20 minutes prep, 1 hour 15 minutes cook

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

250g cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ tsp dried oregano

12 lasagne sheets

150g Taleggio cheese, roughly torn

100g mozzarella, roughly torn

Basil leaves, shredded

Béchamel sauce

800ml milk

1 slice of onion

2 bay leaves

60g butter

60g plain flour

Spinach filling

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large courgette, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

750g frozen whole leaf spinach, defrosted and drained

50g ricotta

75g Parmesan, finely grated

Zest of ½ lemon

A few rasps of nutmeg

Breadcrumb topping

25g fresh breadcrumbs

25g Parmesan, grated

½ tsp oregano

Basil leaves, shredded

Method

First make the béchamel. Heat the milk with the onion and bay leaves. Bring up to boiling point, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool and infuse, then strain. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir to combine into a roux, then continue to cook and stir for several minutes to cook out the raw flavour of the flour. Add the milk to the roux, a ladleful at a time and stir until the milk is completely combined between each addition and you have a smooth sauce.

Put the cherry tomatoes in a sieve or colander and sprinkle them with salt, then leave them to drain for at least 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the oregano.

To make the spinach filling, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan or frying pan and add the onion. Cook until soft and translucent, then add the courgette and cook until it has reduced down. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, then set aside to cool. Roughly chop the spinach and squeeze out as much liquid from it as you can. Add it to the onion and courgette mixture, then add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine.

To make the breadcrumb topping, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, oregano and basil together, then drizzle over the olive oil. Toss lightly.

To assemble, spread a small ladleful of the béchamel sauce over the base of a rectangular ovenproof dish. Place 3 lasagne sheets on top, followed by another ladle of the béchamel. Spread a third of the spinach mix over the top and sprinkle over a few of the chopped tomatoes, followed by a quarter of the Taleggio. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets and repeat until you have 3 layers. Add a top layer of lasagne, then pour over the remaining béchamel. Sprinkle over the remaining Taleggio, the mozzarella and a few basil leaves, then top with the breadcrumb mixture.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Bake the lasagne in the oven for 40–45 minutes until the top is brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to stand and settle for 10–15 minutes before serving.