White Lasagna
Ingredients
- 9 Lasagna Noodles
- 2 cups Belfonte 4% Small Curd Cottage Cheese
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¼ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 16 oz. Ground Italian Sausage
- ½ cup finely chopped Yellow Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 8 oz. fresh Baby Spinach, tough stems removed
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh Basil
- 3 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 3 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
- 3 cups Belfonte Half and Half
- 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Baking Spray
Directions
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles, rinse them in cold water, and set them aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a blender, combine the Belfonte 4% Cottage Cheese, eggs, nutmeg, ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Note: add a splash of half and half to the mixture if it seems too thick to blend. Set this mixture aside.
- In a large, non-stick skillet, cook Italian sausage and chopped onions with a large pinch of salt, crumbling the sausage into small pieces as it cooks, until browned and cooked through and the onion is softened.
- Stir the garlic and Italian seasoning into the sausage and cook for one minute. Stir in the spinach, a couple of handfuls at a time, until wilted and blended into the sausage. Stir in the basil, then remove the pan from the heat.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly whisk in Belfonte half and half, then bring the mixture to a simmer. (Whisk frequently to avoid the half and half from scalding on the bottom of the saucepan). Whisk in a big pinch of salt and pepper, then once the sauce is slightly thickened, turn the heat off from beneath the pan and whisk in the remaining ½ cup of the grated parmesan cheese.
- Combine the cooked sausage mixture with the parmesan cream sauce, and stir to evenly mix.
- Spray an oven-safe 9×13 casserole dish with baking spray. Spoon ¾ cup of the creamy sausage mixture across the bottom of the pan.
- Lay three lasagna noodles in a single layer on top of the creamy sausage mixture. Pour one third of the cottage cheese mixture over the lasagna noodles, then use the back of a spoon to evenly spread it across the noodles.
- Spoon half of the remaining creamy sausage mixture into the dish, spreading it into an even layer over the creamy noodles. Cover this layer with one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layers: Lay three lasagna noodles over the cheese layer, followed by another â…“ of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles, then spoon the remaining half of the sausage mixture over the creamy noodles. Spread another cup of shredded mozzarella over this layer.
- Lay the remaining three lasagna noodles on top of the mozzarella layer, followed by the remaining â…“ of the cottage cheese mixture, then the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue baking for 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Let the lasagna rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil, serve warm, and enjoy!
Notes:
- We love to boil a couple of extra lasagna noodles in case one or two break while cooking. It’s always good to have backups on hand!
- We recommend using Belfonte 4% cottage cheese for the best flavor and texture in this recipe.
- A breakdown of layers in a simpler format: ¾ cup sausage mixture, 3 lasagna noodles, ⅓ cottage cheese mixture, half remaining sausage mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, 3 lasagna noodles, ⅓ cottage cheese mixture, remaining sausage mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, 3 lasagna noodles, remaining cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to four days in an airtight container.
- Freeze leftovers for up to three months. Wrap individual servings in plastic wrap, then foil. Store in a freezer safe bag until ready to use.
- To reheat, thaw frozen lasagna servings at room temperature for 30 minutes. Reheat in the oven at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Rest Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 12 servings