Buffalo Spinach Lasagna

I recently submitted this recipe to a contest. It didn’t win …but it should have! It is admittedly complicated but the results are well worth it.

Ingredients:
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
1 16 oz. package ground buffalo
1 medium onion
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cloves fresh chopped garlic
¼ tsp Spanish anchovy paste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
¼ cup skim milk
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, defrosted and well drained
2 15 oz. containers of part skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 ¼ tsp oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper

On top:
½ round fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh basil

This recipe takes about 1 hour of preparation and 1 hour to bake in the oven. My lasagna dish is about 11.5’ x 10.5’.

Pasta: Bring lightly salted water to a boil, submerge noodles and turn off heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until soft but not fully cooked.

Meat and Spinach Filling: Brown ground buffalo in 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. When meat is brown add 1 chopped onion. Add ¼ tsp salt and an 1/8 tsp pepper and continue to sauté until onion is translucent. Add 2 cloves fresh chopped garlic and anchovy paste and cook for 1 minute. Add can of crushed tomatoes. Cook together for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup skim milk and spinach. Stir well until spinach is incorporated.

Ricotta Filling: In a medium bowl add cheese, two beaten eggs, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tablespoon fresh basil, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.

Put ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of the lasagna dish. Place a layer of pasta, more sauce and then a thin layer of ricotta filling. Repeat until you reach the top of the dish. You should get 3 layers of pasta. On top of the final layer add 1/2 inch slices of fresh mozzarella and a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour until cheese is slightly brown around the edges.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes before and add the chiffonade of basil to the top before serving. This recipe will serve 6-8 people.