Spinach-Cream Cheese Lasagna

The cream cheese adds body to this dish without giving it that insufferably creamy quality. To avoid a lumpy cream cheese sauce, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before cooking the sauce.

Serves 5 to 6  Prep Time 15 minutes  Cook Time 40 minutes

500 grams lasagna, cooked according to package directions
olive oil
1 onion bulb, chopped
1 pack fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 kilo fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup fresh tomato sauce

For the cream cheese sauce
1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small equal pieces
2 teaspoons flour (add more if you prefer a thicker consistency)
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose cream
1 225-gram cream cheese bar, sliced and softened
salt and pepper to taste

For the topping
1/4 grated cream cheese bar
fresh button mushrooms, sliced
fresh spinach leaves

1  Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms until cooked. Add the spinach and cook until leaves are slightly wilted. Add fresh tomato sauce (recipe below) and simmer. Set aside to cool.

2  Make the cream cheese sauce: On medium heat, melt the butter then mix in the flour.Pour the milk and cream. Add the cream cheese. Whisk until sauce is smooth and lump-free. Season with salt and pepper.

3  Preheat oven to 3500C.

4  In a baking dish, alternately layer lasagna, spinach mixture, lasagna, and cream cheese sauce, ending with the cream cheese sauce. Top with grated cheese and sliced mushrooms.

5  Bake in the oven until the cheese melts slightly or the inner mixtures bubble, about 25 minutes.

6  Garnish with spinach leaves before serving.

DIY Tomato Sauce: If you can’t buy fresh tomato sauce, mixing 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1 small can tomato paste will still do the trick. For meat eaters, substitute the spinach with 1/2 kilo ground beef. For vegetarians, add more vegetables such as sliced eggplant or mashed potato.

Photography by Miguel Nacianceno │ Styling by Pamela Lim

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