Okay, so I admit it. Frozen spinach is super convenient to use in recipes, but I can sometimes taste the difference between frozen and fresh (and I don’t mean in a good way). So I was pleasantly surprised when I recently tried mixing it directly into the cheesy goodness of this Spinach Lasagna dish and seriously could not taste any frozen flavors AT ALL. Not one bit.
I don’t know if it was the cheese or maybe even the brand of spinach I bought, but either way – this recipe is here to stay because my family devoured it for both dinner and lunch the next day. Leftovers are the best when you’re cooking everything from scratch!
My Go-To Frozen Spinach: Cascadian Farm Organic
Cascadian Farm is one of my go-to brands for frozen foods! I love their selection of 1-ingredient organic fruits for smoothies, muffins, pancakes, and even as a topping on my granola cereal, as well as their veggies for dishes like this one. Frozen produce is super nutritious since it’s picked at the peak of freshness, and it will also go easy on your wallet. For more ideas on how to incorporate frozen fruits and veggies into your routine, check out my recent list of 8 ideas for inspiration.
The Easiest Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese grated
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated and divided
- 10 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry (I used Cascadian Farm Organic brand and love that it’s already chopped for me!)
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups pasta sauce 25 ounce jar
- 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna no-boil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, ¾ cup of the Parmesan, spinach, egg, and salt.
- In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, spread ¾ cup sauce on the bottom. Layer a few of the noodles on top. Spread a third of the cheese mixture on top of that and then another 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers until all ingredients are gone, ending with the sauce.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the noodles have completely softened. Let rest for 5 minutes, serve warm, and enjoy!
Seriously the best lasagna I’ve ever made! Changed the green pepper for an orange one (because I don’t like the green ones), but otherwise followed recipe exactly. Quick & easy to prepare. I told my kids the green stuff was just “seasoning” and they didn’t know it was spinach until it was all devoured & I told them. Will definitely make again.
Oops – pepper was a different recipe. Made this one exactly following the recipe.
Making this for a friend with a new baby. I’m going to freeze it BEFORE cooking it. How long would you suggest cooking it from frozen?
Hi there. We recommend cooking before freezing. Then cover with foil and reheat at 375 until heated through. – Nicole
Sounds delicious! My family doesn’t love ricotta cheese so I usually replace it with cottage cheese in other lasagnas. Do you think that will ruin this recipe?
Hi Allie, that should work fine. – Nicole
Great recipe So easy & tasty. Fantastic for a meat -free dinner. It freezes really well too.
Delicious! I saw you make this recipe on GMA. I used a smaller dish since I always make too much and then the leftovers go to waste. I also used the no bake lasagna noodles (from Trader Joe’s) and was really impressed with how easy everything came together. And it was inexpensive. I’ll be looking forward to making more of your recipes.
Thanks – Julie
Hi- Can I prep this the night before?
Sure. :)
Double the spinach and my kids devoured it. So glad to have found your site!
We’ve made this twice now. It’s absolutely delicious!!
How long would this need to be in the oven if I used regular lasagna noodles that needed to be boiled? I had a hard time finding whole wheat no boil lasagna locally.
Hi Gloria. I’ve made this with boiled noodles without changing the cooking time.
Great flavor and a “lighter” lasagna. My husband was skeptical at first but enjoyed it! Thank you for the recipe.
I will be freezing this recipe after cooking it. How long must I re-heat the spinach and at what temperature? I’m making this recipe tomorrow afternoon
Hi there. I cover with foil and reheat at 375 until heated through.
Thank you. I’ll be trying it this weekend.
I made this but added cooked sausage. It was wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Made this tonight- was so easy to make and was delicious!
If your store here in the States sells it, look for Sno-Pac frozen vegetables. Their frozen, chopped spinach is not frozen into a compressed brick that takes forever to thaw (if you’re like me and forget to take it out the night before). I like that it’s “loose” in the bag and thaws much faster. Plus, Sno-Pac is a local/regional company for me. And yes, they’re organic if that’s important to you.
The idea of 1 veg lasagna is good but…honest!! Far too much cheese,therefore fat,then the goodness of the spinach is minimum
Fat is not bad for you….crappy processed food are bad for you.
I was wondering if anyone has tried freezing this lasagna? I’m looking for easy freezer recipes and I thought this might be a good one. If you freeze it, would you cook it first and then freeze it, or freeze it uncooked? If it was uncooked approximately how long might I expect to have to cook it for when I take it out of the freezer? Thanks!
I would freeze it cooked.
I bought an 8 oz block of mozzarella do I use that whole thing or measure after I grate it?
8 ounces is a weight. It is the same weight solid or grated. Grate your cheese for the recipe.
I made this for our family and everyone enjoyed it. I have never made a lasagna because I always thought it would be so work intensive. It wasn’t at all. This lasagna will be a definite go to recipe. Thanks!
Would you make any adjustments to this recipe if you were using fresh spinach?
Any idea how much to use?
Hi. I would saute the spinach before adding it, otherwise the moisture from the uncooked spinach will effect the outcome of the dish.
I made this tonight for dinner and my whole family, including kids age 8 and 10, absolutely loved it. Not to mention, it was so easy to make! Thanks for making dinner a snap tonight!
A really healthy spinach recipe and easy to cook! I will definitely give it a try this week and hope my family will love it. I explored a few more easy cooking recipes at http://www.simplynativefoods.com. Do not miss!
Thanks for the link to the lasagna noodles! I’ve often wondered if there were whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles – there certainly aren’t any at my WFM – so I wasn’t sure they even existed! But now I will be on the lookout for them. :)
I’ve read that spinach is actually more nutritious if it’s eaten cooked rather than raw. I’m going to have to try this.
Thanks!
I made this for dinner this week and it was amazing (and easy)! It was even a hit with my pickiest eater!
I think I found a new way to get my kids eat veggies. It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Where did you find the lasagna pasta?
They had it where I shop – Earth Fare. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it at our mainstream grocery store as well (Harris Teeter owned by Kroger).
Thank you! :)
I have a great recipe that doesn’t use noodle at all! Organic lean ground beef, and spinach as the noodles! Tastes EXACTLY like lasagna!
Love your recipes :)
I made this tonight and the only modification I made was I used homemade sauce. It was perfect! Not too heavy as I find with most lasagne recipes. Five stars from this family of five. We love so many of your recipes, thank you!
Yay!
Lisa, I think it’s the cheese… Cheese congeals the extra liquid from frozen spinach and leaves no frozen flavor. I make lasagna from scratch, but I make my marinara (red) sauce from scratch, and sometimes even pasta sheets. But, it is more time consuming that way.
I’m excited to try this recipe! My husband was just saying he wanted lasagna for dinner soon! I agree with you about the taste of frozen spinach. In the past couple of years, I have started buying fresh spinach and freezing it in gallon ziplocs. I don’t do anything to it other than wash, dry, and freeze (or freeze the pre-washed stuff from the bags). It’s great to have on hand to throw into things like smoothies, eggs, and pasta and it’s really easy to chop once it’s frozen so it takes maybe 30 seconds. It’s also a great way to preserve spinach if I buy more than I can use before it goes bad – much less wasted wilted spinach!
Good tip! And I promise you can’t taste the frozen aspect in this dish at all. :)
Can you make the night before put in fridge then bake for dinner the following night?
You can! :)
Could I use cottage cheese instead of the ricotta? My family doesn’t like ricotta!
Hello Emma. Sure, that should work, too.
Hi Amy :). Have you or Lisa seen/tried the “creamy cauliflower sauce” from Tiffany @ Dontwastethecrumbs? Half of my kiddos protest meals with ricotta cheese so I slipped that into a baked pasta dish the other night and I was astounded at how fast it all disappeared.
Please could u post the creamy cauli sauce? Unable to find it. I know it’s not Lisa’s but I think she would not mind. I am elderly and this is as far as I can connect online. Thank u!
Hope it’s ok Lisa/Amy? http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2014/01/creamy-cauliflower-sauce/
It’s not so much a recipe as: steam a chopped head of cauliflower, puree it (add steamed water or milk to thin if needed), and seasonings as desired. I added butter and garlic to mine before I added it as a “sauce” to my pasta dish. I think I’ll do it again for this spinach lasagna since I happen to have another head, but no ricotta cheese :D
here it is! http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2014/01/creamy-cauliflower-sauce/
Might have to give it a try! :)