My friend Kim gave me the bones of this recipe at least 15 years ago, and I still have it in my recipe box in her handwriting. I elaborated on the recipe a bit, and rearranged it to make it more user-friendly, but the essence is the same: Italian-seasoned meat, spinach, roasted red peppers, white wine, three Italian cheeses and Alfredo sauce. I always think of my father-in-law when I make it. I’d ask him what he needed us to bring when we were headed to his house, and his answer was always the same: “Nothing but some more of that white lasagna.”
This White Lasagna is quicker than my mom’s most excellent traditional lasagna, and I still make hers. But when I need something faster, White Lasagna doesn’t disappoint. It’s delicious! The ingredient list is long-ish, but don’t let that deter you! Many of the ingredients are seasonings, and all you’re going to do is throw them into the meat mixture before you simmer it. Everything else is just assembly.
The recipe calls for no-boil lasagna noodles which really are the best things since sliced bread. Of course you can use regular lasagna noodles if that’s what you have. Just boil them to al dente and go from there.
Traditional Northern Italian white lasagna calls for béchamel sauce. I think that can be a little bland. The White Lasagna recipe Kim gave me calls for jarred Alfredo sauce instead, and I liked the sound of flavorful Alfredo sauce in place the of béchamel. To be fair, I’ve used jarred Alfredo sauce only a time or two. I usually have enough heavy cream on hand, so I melt parmesan in hot cream, add a little salt and pepper, and use that. But this time Bertolli Alfredo sauce was on sale, making it much less expensive than heavy cream and parm. It was fine. Thankfully, jarred Alfredo sauce has gotten better in the last few years. Use whatever works best for you.
Finally, you’ll notice in the photos that I’m making White Lasagna in a square pan while the recipe calls for a 9 x 13 casserole dish. That’s because I divided the recipe between 2 baking pans so I could take one to a friend.
Buon appetito!
White Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ½ lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 t. Italian seasoning
- 1 t. dried basil
- ¾ t. salt
- ½ t. pepper
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
- 3 oz. roasted red pepper, drained and diced (about ¼ of a 12 oz, jar)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1 10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 16 oz. carton ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 lb. sliced mozzarella
- 1 package oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles
- 1 15 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
Instructions
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook, crumbling as you go, until no longer pink. Drain off the fat.
- Add Italian seasoning, basil, salt, pepper, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and white wine. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Stir together spinach, egg, ricotta and half the parmesan cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish. Layer the lasagna like this: Noodles, half the meat, half the mozzarella slices, noodles, all of the ricotta mixture, noodles, the rest of the meat, the rest of the mozzarella. Spread the Alfredo sauce over the lasagna and top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the edges of the lasagna are bubbly and the top has begun to brown in spots. Allow to the lasagna to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.
This a hearty delicious entree. I followed all directions except substituted cottage cheese for ricotta and used hot Italian sausage. It was a bit time consuming, but it will be several meals for the two of us. Felt lazy about making a salad or any side, so topped each large serving with arugula. I recommend using a tad bigger than 9x 13 to hold all ingredients. Looking forward to left overs.
I’m glad y’all liked it!