Green Lasagne Is A Must-Try Twist On A Classic Dish
Almost everyone loves a hearty plateful of lasagne. The layers of meat and cheese in this classic dish feel like the ultimate comfort food to many people, especially if their favorite lasagne recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
Naturally, there are plenty of twists on classic lasagne, including sausage lasagne, vegetarian lasagne, dairy-free lasagne, and even instant pot lasagne. One of the most underrated takes on lasagne swaps out a key ingredient for a delicious variation that will give new life to any lasagne recipe (via Forbes). The difference is so small that the preparation will look almost exactly the same, but one will notice the deeper flavor profile in this green version of classic lasagne. This type of lasagne isn't as well-known as the classic lasagne, but some of the same tips for making a delicious lasagne still apply to this innovative dish (via Love Food).
The origins of green lasagne
Green lasagne gets its name from its lasagne noodles. They're spinach-flavored instead of tasting like typical pasta.
Although this dish may seem like some kind of outlandish creation by a forward-thinking chef, green lasagne is steeped in tradition. According to Forbes, green lasagne originated in Bologna, Italy, where cooks would put nettles in the famous pasta dish to give it its green flavor. If this sounds unpalatable, don't worry.
Now, cooks use pasta flavored with spinach in their lasagne instead of alternating their lasagne with layers of spinach itself. Traditional bolognese green lasagne has meat ragú and béchamel, but the rest is largely up to the cook's interpretation of the classic dish (via La Cucina Italiana). There may be countless takes on green lasagne, but the spinach-flavored pasta takes the flavors of the other key ingredients up a notch, so it's a meal worth trying.
How to transform a typical lasagne recipe into green lasagne
Green lasagne may be new to some, but it's fairly simple to turn a classic lasagne recipe into a green lasagne dish with many of the same flavors as the original lasagne (via Forbes). Just look for green lasagne sheets, and a home cook will be well on their way to making a lasagne that they'll want to eat again and again.
To start green lasagne, place olive oil in a pan before adding onions and peppers on medium heat. After eight to 10 minutes, add garlic and stir for a minute. Add in beef and carrots, and turn the heat to medium-high. Then, add beef stock, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce as well as salt and pepper to make the beef ragú.
When the mixture boils, reduce the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. For the sauce, add butter on low heat, and once it's melted, add flour and stir together. After a few minutes, pour in milk, simmer it, and add in the parmesan cheese before taking the pan off the heat.
Add ragú to the bottom of the lasagne pan, then add spinach pasta sheets (via La Cucina Italiana). Finally, add the white sauce and repeat the process twice before covering the top layer with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, then bake for 40 minutes. In the end, it'll be a delicious green lasagne ready to serve.