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5 from 2 votes

Spinach Lasagna

This quick and easy spinach lasagna recipe is a simple and cozy casserole that comes together with just 20 minutes of prep!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword spinach lasagna, spinach lasagna recipe, vegetarian lasagna, vegetarian lasagna recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 306kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside.
  • Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl. Add ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil, oregano, salt, garlic powder, and nutmeg to the bowl with the spinach. Stir really well with a fork to combine.
    Spinach and ricotta mixture in a bowl.
  • Spread about ½ cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 no-boil lasagna noodles (or as many as you need to cover a single layer in the dish), ½ of the ricotta mixture, and ¾ cup of marinara sauce.
    Process shot showing how to make spinach lasagna
  • Add 3 more noodles to the dish, the remaining ½ of the ricotta mixture, and ¾ cup of marinara sauce. Finally, add another layer of 3 noodles, spread remaining ¾ cup of marinara sauce on top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
    Sprinkling mozzarella cheese on top of a casserole
  • Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until heated through and cheese on top is browned). Let stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
    Close overhead shot of spinach lasagna in a white dish

Notes

  • I prefer ricotta cheese because it has a thicker, smoother, creamier texture than cottage cheese. For a lighter choice, you can substitute with small curd or whipped cottage cheese. If the cottage cheese looks like it has a lot of liquid, strain it before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
  • If you're feeling adventurous, try making your homemade lasagna from scratch with homemade lasagna noodles.
  • If using homemade lasagna noodles or boiled lasagna noodles (rather than the no-boil noodles), reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
  • Add ground beef, ground turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage to the marinara sausage if you're not concerned with preparing a vegetarian lasagna recipe.
  • White Vegetarian Lasagna: substitute Alfredo sauce for the marinara sauce.
  • Cooking for Two? Divide the full recipe between two smaller 8-inch square baking dishes. That way you get two meals with the same amount of effort, and you can freeze one for a later date. Alternatively, you can cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare one lasagna in an 8-inch square dish. The baking instructions remain the same.
  • The egg is an important component of the ricotta mixture because it helps the cheese layer "set" so that it doesn't ooze out when you slice into the casserole. That said, if you have an egg allergy, you can omit this ingredient -- the finished texture just won't be quite the same.
  • Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the richest, creamiest, smoothest texture.
  • For a thicker lasagna, double the ricotta mixture and add another layer or two of noodles and sauce.
  • To bulk up the filling and include even more nutritious veggies in the casserole, saute sliced mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, diced onion, garlic, zucchini, or other vegetables of choice and stir them into the marinara sauce.
  • Let the lasagna rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will help the cheese set so that it slices cleanly and doesn't ooze out.
  • Garnish each slice of lasagna with chopped fresh herbs, additional grated Parmesan cheese, or crushed red pepper flakes (for a little bit of spice)!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice of lasagna | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 919mg | Potassium: 431mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 886IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 403mg | Iron: 1mg