VEGETARIAN SPINACH AND MINT LASAGNE- a healthy recipe with not a horse a sight

Fresh Spinach

With all the news of contaminated food, horse burgers and freaky lasagnes, I’m very thankful that we have been eating more of a vegetarian diet and making food from scratch for the last few years.

Last month I had to take time off as I was unwell and I was very lucky that my family rallied round cooking and shopping.

Soups, casseroles, blueberry muffins, chocolate brownies, fish pies and

oohh the MOST DELICIOUS spinach and mint lasagne.

I know it sounds rather strange but it is oh so scrumptious. The hint of mint offers a great balance to the spinach and the generous parmesan topping..well perfect!!

This delicious supper was made by my Mother, who is, as I have mentioned before, an excellent cook. As a small child I messed around with flour and eggs at her side and then as a teen and then student copied her recipes. At university I was even paid by a friend to cook supper parties for him, no baked beans every night for me!!

So if you fancy a lasagne with a difference I can thoroughly recommend this one. 

Spinach and mint lasagne

   Spinach, mint and cream cheese lasagne

Serves 4-6

Preparation time 30 minutes ish

(Well 10 minutes chopping and 20 minutes whilst the sauce simmers!)

Cooking time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Tomato sauce:

1Tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 celery sticks, and 2 carrots chopped

1tbsp tomato puree

2 400g tins of tomatoes

Filling:

I kg frozen spinach

11oz of cream cheese

3 Tbsp grated parmesan

2 Tbsp chopped mint leaves

8-10 sheets of lasagne

Topping

3 Tbsp crème fraiche( or cheese sauce if you can be bothered to make it) with a pinch of grated nutmeg

WHAT TO DO:

1.     Make the sauce; put the oil in a frying pan on a low heat and gently fry the onion, carrots and celery for about 3 minutes until soft.

2.     Add the tomato puree and tins of tomato and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then blend until smooth.

3.     Cook the spinach then drain and stir in the cream cheese, the mint and half of the parmesan.

4.     Turn the oven on to pre heat to 180 degrees c

5.     Now to layer it up. In an oven proof dish put a layer of tomatoes sauce. Next add a layer of spinach mix then a single layer of lasagne sheets and repeat. Do this until you finish with a top layer of lasagne.   

6.     Mix the nutmeg into the crème fraiche (or cheese sauce if you can be bothered to make it) and spread across the top then sprinkle the remaining parmesan on and put into the oven.

7.     Cook for half an hour.

As I said I can’t take the credit for this delicious recipe it was made by my Mum, who has passed it on to me. Despite being an odd combination for winter the mint and spinach work so well together.

spinach and mint lasagne ready to go in the oven

You can be confident there’s not a whisper of horse in this dish.

SO MUCH GOODNESS IN SUCH LITTLE LEAVES- SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA PIE

Spinach

“What are we having WITH the salad?” asked one of the teens as we basked in the evening sunshine for yet another meal in the garden.

“With it? Umm..?” 

 I hastily retreated to the cool of the kitchen and hunted through the fridge.

 As this mini heat wave continues I am happy to eat salad every day, however the rest of the family need a little more than this.

So after a variations of salads; nicoise, mixed beans, quinoa and pasta to name but a few, and ample portions of tomato tart (see May th post for recipe) I  went down to the local market in search of inspiration.

There I saw bundles of fresh local spinach.

Spinach

OK I know we can get spinach all year round in plastic bags in every supermarket, but it’s in season now and the local stuff is delicious.

If it’s good enough for Popeye, it’s good enough for us. Packed with vitamins, A, K, C, and B2 its excellent for magnesium and iron as well. 

Just what we all need.

With that in mind I decided to make a spinach and mozzarella pie.

It’s inspired by Greek spinach and feta pie but certain fussy eaters chez nous aren’t wild on feta and so I have adapted it for mozzarella and it’s delicious.

I also love this recipe because it works well warm the day you make it or cold the next day. 

It is also possible to make it in about half an hour, always a bonus.

Spinach and mozzarella pie

SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA PIE

This is my version of the Greek spinach and feta pie but as half the family don’t like feta we have adapted it for mozzarella and find it works really well. I think it is delicious with either.

Preparation time 10-15 minutes

Cooking time15- 20 minutes

You will need a frying pan, bowl and 9 inch loose bottom tart tin

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion

3 cloves of garlic

450g spinach

1 pack of mozzarella

Handful of pinenuts

Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

1 pack of filo pastry

25-50g melted butter

Olive oil for frying

Salt and pepper to season and sesame seeds to scatter on the top.

Wilting spinach

Spinach and mozzarella tart ready to cook

WHAT TO DO:

1.     Slice the onion and garlic thinly and fry in the olive oil for 3 minutes.

2.     Wash the spinach and then add to the frying pan to wilt this will take about 4 minutes the turn off. Drain off any extra moisture and let it cool slightly.

3.     In a bowl mix the cheese, pine nuts and nutmeg and mix well.

4.     Now get the pastry ready. Melt the butter and then brush the tin with it then lay one of the sheets of filo on it. Brush this with the melted butter and add another sheet of filo.

     Lay them round in a pattern so you aren’t always putting the sheets in the same place. Lay about 6 – 8 sheets in the same way.

5.     Now put the spinach mixture into the bowl with the cheese stir well and then put it in the pastry case.

6.     Once it’s all packed in start to layer the remaining sheets of pastry on top brushing the layers with butter until you have used them up.

7.     Seal the edges with butter and tuck in then brush the top with the remaining butter. Scatter with sesame seeds and place in the oven for 15- 20 minutes until golden.

This can be eaten hot, cold or warm!! 

Spinach and mozzarella pie

If you want to be super healthy serve this with a generous portion of watercress. 

To quote an academic friend who knows about these things..  

“The chemicals in this little leaf (watercress) have been shown to stop the signalling molecules that lead to the formation of breast cancer cells- so keep eating.”

Sounds like excellent advice to me.