Ground Beef, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna
We had two families coming over for dinner and I wanted to make something that would be hearty, comforting, and also something that would clean out my pantry before we move so I don’t have to pack as much. I found some marinara sauce and lasagna noodles in the cupboards and I had some ground beef, onions, ricotta, and spinach in the refrigerator so I threw them together and made a huge pan of lasagna. The caramelized onions made this lasagna extra special. It was a big hit with all of the adults and even some of the picky kids liked it too.
How to Make Ground Beef, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna:
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil, more if needed
- 2 sweet yellow onions, sliced thickly
- 1 pound of lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup of Asiago cheese
- 2 cups of baby spinach
- 12 no-cook lasagna noodles
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
- 4 cups of marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown. Meanwhile, in another skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Add the dried basil, garlic powder, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Once the meat is brown add the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and drain any grease.
In a large bowl, add ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, Asiago cheese, fresh chopped parsley, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Combine until mixed thoroughly.
Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan cooking spray then layer with just enough marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay four lasagna noodles in the pan. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on the noodles, then spoon some of the ground beef mixture on top, followed by caramelized onions, and spinach leaves. Add four more noodles then top them with more sauce; repeat layering. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Let the lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy.
Wow, your lasagne looks amazing!
This looks great! FYI, you are missing spinach in your ingredient list.
Very nice site! Love all of the photos for the related posts and categories.
2 cups of spinach are in the recipe…
Oh. My. Super delicious lasagna.
Can I just say I’m a fan?! A super-mega-ultra-lightening-babe fan?
(I assume everyone with kids knows that line from the Incredibles!)
THIS IS SO DELISH!
I looooooooooooove your recipes. What is it like to have such a marvelous mind that comes up with these amazing recipes every night?
This lasagna was delicious! A definite keeper! I used ground turkey breast and part-skim ricotta to lighten it up a bit. increased the onions to 3 sliced and put 2 layers of spinach, definitely more than 2 cups. the carmelized onions really made this lasagna! the hint of sweetness in every bite was just the right contrast to the slightly spicy meat. Wonderful!!!!!
Hey,
i made this lasagna today, but it was pretty dry. What could be the problem? I love the ingredients inside!!
Maybe try adding more sauce next time.
Hello!
I’ve really been enjoying your recipes. I’m happy I ran into your website while browsing a few weeks back. I’ve made the Lasagna with Ricotta four times! It’s wonderful.
I was wondering if you knew how many calories our in your dishes?
Or if you knew a way for me to keep track of that as I keep cooking from your site.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
I don’t provide nutritional information but I am sure there are lots of sites on the web that can help you figure out the calories of any of my recipes.
Cheers,
Pam
Sorry,
It’s the baked spaghetti with ricotta that I’ve made the most.
Can’t get enough of it. 🙂
Best lasagna and so easy to make. I would put some of the mariners sauce between the layers next time as some spots were a bit dry once the sauce baked in. Thanks for such a great recipe. Btw I used gluten free rice lasagna sheets. Couldn’t tell the difference
I made this recipe tonight and used RAO’s marinara (in a jar) and it was a HUGE hit! I also put the sauce between the layers, so it wasn’t dry – used the entire jar in the recipe. It will definitely be a repeat meal! Thank you for sharing.
I don’t see where the tomato sauce goes.
Rana,
Read through the recipe – it’s in the third paragraph.
Pam