Giada’s Best Lasagna

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta water

1 pound lasagna pasta, broken into 2-inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (5-ounce) container baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 red onion, diced

25 ounces jarred marinara sauce

2 ½ cups shredded low moisture mozzarella, divided

1 ½ cups freshly grated parmesiano reggiano, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil an 12 x 17-inch baking sheet with 2 Tosp olive oil. Set aside.

2. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tosp oil along with garlic and pepper. Cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and salt and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted, 1 more minute. Remove spinach mixture to a strainer and remove excess liquid. Place spinach in a medium bowl, add the ricotta cheese and stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Wipe out the skillet and bring it back to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil along with ground beef and cook until the beef is browned, another 5 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and onion and cook until the onion softens, 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente, stirring often to avoid clumping. Drain well, reserving 1½ cup of pasta water.

5. While the pasta is cooking, add the marinara to the beef and onions and mix well. Add the pasta water, pasta, half the shredded cheese and stir.

6. Spread the mixture on the 12 x 17-inch baking sheet or casserole dish. Dollop the ricotta-spinach mixture (I usually use an ice cream scoop) on top and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheeses. You don’t need to spread out the mixture. Just place the dollops so there is about one per slice. Bake until the sauce is bubbly, and the top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.