Winter Greens Lasagna Recipe
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Wilting the greens with cream and layering them with ricotta and Parmesan makes this a satisfying lasagna that’s both easy (no sauce to prepare) and vegetarian. Even those who don’t usually get excited by cooking greens enjoy the earthy flavors they provide here.
What to buy: Crème fraîche is a naturally thickened fresh cream with a tangy flavor and a rich texture, and it doesn’t curdle or separate when heated. If you can’t find it, sour cream is a decent substitute.
This recipe was featured as part of our Cooking with Winter Ingredients photo gallery.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, medium dice
- 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 pound red kale, washed, tough stems removed, and coarsely chopped (about 10 cups)
- 1 pound Swiss chard, washed, tough stems removed, and coarsely chopped (about 8 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups crème fraîche
- 1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 pound fresh ricotta
- 2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 5 ounces)
- Heat the oven to 400ºF and arrange a rack in the middle. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onion and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and a few handfuls of greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly wilted. Continue adding greens a little at a time until they all are slightly wilted. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, completely wilted, and coated in cream, about 10 minutes. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and remove from heat.
- Spread 1 cup of the crème fraîche evenly over the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 4 noodles, allowing them to overlap slightly. Using a slotted spoon, scoop a third of the greens mixture from the cream and evenly spread it over the noodles, then cover with a third of the ricotta and a quarter of the Parmesan. Repeat to make two more layers, and end with a final layer of noodles on top. Evenly pour 1/4 cup of the warm cream over the noodles. Mix together the remaining crème fraîche and Parmesan and spread it evenly over top.
- Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and starting to brown, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is browned completely and the sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Beverage pairing: Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Blanc, Italy. The cream and cheese in this dish suggest a white wine with both acid and some heft, while the chard and kale beg for something with earthiness and herbaceousness. Sauvignon Blanc is the answer, especially one from Friuli in northeastern Italy, where it often has great acid structure and fine apple and lime flavors, as well as a high-pitched green streak.
Made this tonight it was sooo good! Used half and half instead of cream and it was just fine. Made my own creme fraiche (had about a cup) and added sour cream to make 1 1/2 cups. Also used 3 leeks instead of onions, added garlic right before the half and half. 2 c. of dairy is more than enough to wilt the greens. Try to use organic greens if can. Non-organic greens are on the top 12 dirty produce list!
I boosted the flavor by pulsing 1/2# mushrooms and 2 cleaned leeks (instead of onions) in my processor, and cooking this down before adding in the garlic, cream, and greens (kale). Meanwhile, I ran boiling water over about 10oz spinach to wilt, then squeezed well and chopped up, adding to the layers as I built them. 2C of dairy (half-and-half) didn't feel nearly enough, so I used 3C. It could have actually used a full 4C because the final dish wasn't creamy. It was moist, but not oozy like I expected. I would consider adding an additional cheeze - fontina/mozz - to boost the ooze factor. And finally, rather than putting the creme fraiche on the bottom, I would reserve all of it for the top. Here's a timely post about how to make your own creme fraiche:http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/02/how-to-make-creme-fraiche-in-1-easy-step.html.
decided to make this a *slightly* lighter version by replacing heavy cream with a mix of half & half and non-fat milk, and then substituting the creme fraiche with non-fat greek yogurt. i also added a little freshly ground nutmeg to the cream/greens mixture, which seemed like a natural compliment. yummy :)
i threw some raw spinach on a lasagna and it turned out great. but spinach cooks down a lot so next time i used a lot. turned out too watery, guess you have to pre cook spinach and get rid of the water. are no boil noodles really better? i just soak regular noodles and they have turned out pretty good. this recipe sounds great. has anybody tried it with light whipping cream or even half and half?
Question-- I am thinking about preparing this a day before I cook it. Will this work with the no-cook pasta or will the pasta get soggy? Would it be better to cook it immediately after I prepare it and re-heat it the next day?
I've eaten it on the third day and it was great
Does this dish keep well for a few days? I would never be able to have it all gone after 1 dinner! My usual lasagna is normally good for a week.
Just made this again for a second time. How have you used all the leftover green cream after cooking the greens?
i made this dish, ultimately cutting it in half. however, i added more greens as many recommended and some fresh nutmeg. For us, it was missing something. definitely more parmesan would have helped, but really it was the filler that was most lacking, in our opinions. we used fresh pasta but it wasn't a huge success unfortunately
Made this again, this time for New Years Dinner. Excellent and had to share the recipe with others! Use the creme fraiche!!!
Don't leave out the creme fraiche. This lasagna browns beautifully.
Creme Fraiche is not something I've ever had in a lasagne, and honestly I can't see it browning well at all so I think I'd just leave it out rather than subsituting. Other than that the recipe sounds good. I think I'd do it as a side with lamb chops.
This looks awesome. I love lasagna and I love greens. This should be a good replacement for the traditional tomato lasagna.
I think it's delicious and my guests absolutely thought so. I made it yesterday and did add 'hot' sausage to half of it, broiled the sausage before adding. The other half was just as specified except I did not use no boil lasagna, I don't like it, and did use a 'quality' dry lasagna leaf which I boiled to just almost done.
maggie23, creme fraiche and crema Mexicana are not exactly the same, but in this instance you can substitute crema Mexicana for the creme fraiche. It will not curdle as long as the Walmart stuff is, indeed, proper crema. The key is that the fat content is high enough so that when heated it will not curdle. If in doubt, use full fat sour cream. Let me how it works out. Amy Wisniewski CHOW Assoc. Food Editor
No actuall maggie23 it is not the same
hey i'm new here...i want to make this dish...i am reading the comments about the creme fraiche...i think it is the same cream that i buy in a jar at walmart...in the mexican foods space in the refrigerated section...it's like solur cream but you can pour it easily...i use it on my enchaladas...hehehe...
I finally made this last night, having been wanting to for quite a while. It was very good, we all thought so... I'll make it again but I will spice it up next time. My main complaint was that it was a little bland. If anyone tries it again, I'd add more onion and garlic to the greens, and add some herbs and salt and pepper to the ricotta and creme fraiche.
This was excellent. I've made it twice. Both times I've kept the amount of greens as called for but halved the pasta/cheese/cream (so I guess that's the same as doubling the greens). Also added a pinch of nutmeg. I used tuscan kale and rainbow chard. The whole thing was delicious. I definitely second the idea of putting a sheet pan underneath it!
Delicious. I used sour cream instead of creme fraiche. And I substituted one of the layers of greens with a layer of ground pesto sausage (adelle's brand, cut out of the casings and sauteed).
You can also make creme fraiche by whisking together equal parts heavy cream (not ultrapasteurized if you can find it) and sour cream (per Silver Palate). Let stand in a warmish place (do not refrigerate) covered loosely in plastic, until thickened (i usually make it the night before).
melu your recommendations are good i mean extra greens are always good but... extra greens and 1/2 the cheese would definatly compromise the dish
I would recommend using another bunch of greens and reducing the parmesan in half. Low fat versions of the cheese and sour cream (didn't use creme fraiche) didn't compromise the taste at all. It was delicious.
This lasagna was a VERY BIG HIT with my family. I substituted regular kale and red chard for the red kale and Swiss chard because those greens were what was available at my supermarket. I added some freshly grated nutmeg to the cream-braised greens, which was a fine addition. The greens were so tasty I couldn't stop picking at them while I was cooking! Don't forget to spray the baking dish with non-stick spray before you build the lasagna--cleanup would have been 10 times more difficult if I hadn't given the pan a generous spritz of Pam first.
I made this last night, craving something a bit decadent and it was delicious. I would double the amount of greens however, and make a green salad to go with it next time.
Creme Fraiche is easy to make, does take some planning ahead. I found this on the web. Great on fruit! 1 cup whipping cream mixed with 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Combine well in glass jar and cover. Let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. Stir well and refrigerate. Use within 10 days.
I added some mushrooms to mine other than that followed it. Great recipe. Very good flavor. I did use a little bit more sauce, but great flavor.
Made this last night and it came out great! Used sour cream instead of the pricey creme fraiche and didn't feel cheated. Very delicious, especially when paired with a Sauvignon Blanc and crisp salad with vinegrette dressing. Only thing: PUT A SHEET ON A RACK BELOW PAN -- mine bubbled over and set off the most annoying smoke alarm ever at least a dozen times.
I had this (or a recipe similar to it) for Thanksgiving in Mexico it was a welcome surprise and very good. I will definitely try this recipe for myself.
At our house we have make a similar dish, but instead of kale & Swiss chard, we use broccoli rabe. It's a nice "bitter" counterpoint to the sweatness of the cream, creme fraiche & cheeses. Also have made it using mustard greens & cress or arugula & spinach.
i added 2 eggs to it as a binder/thickener and made stuffed shells out of it even my kids that don't like greens Chowed down (pun intended)
I would actually double the amount of greens... it didn't seem enough to spread from one end of my dish to the next. I really the cheeses to merely complement the greens in my lasagnas. But its in the oven right now, and I'm really looking forward to it!
I second the Professo's take. Life's too short, or at least it is when you eat stuff like this :) Seriously though, why not just make it full fat / full flavour and have a smaller portion
oy..don't use fat free sour cream as a substitute!!! That stuff is nasty and probably worse for you than the real thing. You WANT the richness in this dish. Life is too short not to enjoy real food. The occasional indulgence won't make it any shorter, so ENJOY.
I would probably use fat free cream instead of the heavy cream. Then it's not so rich.
I like the suggestions on how to up the veggie ante and create a more healthy option.
This was very good. I could not find creme fraiche at the grocery store, but discovered that a good mimic is 1 part heavy cream to 1 part sour cream.
I've done a variation that's (I think) easier and less rich: 1) Use fat macaroni-type noodles, and instead of sauteeing the greens, blanch them in the pasta water just before you drain the pasta, chop when cool (no added oil). 2) Roast beets and onions whole, chop and add ( I did this the day before, since the oven was on anyway- I've also used turnips and sunchokes) (no added oil, no cream). 3) Mix noodles, veg, ricotta and an egg and season (pepper, nutmeg, lemon zest); add a little milk if the cheese isn't coating the noodles well enough; slop into greased dish, bake ( no creme fraiche).
I made this over the weekend - it was very good! I didn't use no boil noodles since I don't care for them, but I substituted sheets of fresh pasta. One note if you do that, 1 lb of fresh pasta is only 5 sheets in my world and you need 4 layers of pasta, so either buy more or ask for it to be rolled through the pasta machine an extra time (or roll it yourself) It is very rich, but since I am not going to eat a 10oz ribeye, this is a nice splurge!
say Edelase maybe next time let the baking dish sit on the counter for 30-45 min to allow the cold mixture to attack(so to speak) the no-boils b-4 you bake it
It was a hit. I cut it in half, since I only had kale, I left out the chard. I would do the ricotta and the creme fraiche in more of a custard, wisk in milk or egg to make it a little more "spreadable". The no boil noodles sort of resisted the cold cheeses. Other than that it was a nice dish, and I would make it again.
Sounds good, but if I'm going to ingest that much saturated fat, I'm going to eat a 10 oz rib eye.
going to have to try it it combines 2 of my fav things greens and lasagna besides many of Ms. wisneiwski's recipes are Awesome!