FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS- LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND CORN.

Like any other Punjabi, I have food cravings too. And they mostly revolve around fried Indian delicacies. And around pasta. And anything that has cheese. That is just where I wanted to reach. HA!
Today I bring to you one of my all time favourite and comforting pasta meals... spinach and corn lasagna!

It has layers and layers of goodness. Let's talk about them one by one.

• Lasagna sheets.. I get the dried ones from the market. You would need about 10-12 sheets here.
• Tomato sauce.. Use the bottled pasta sauce available in the market or make your own. Recipe follows.
• Spinach and corn in Bechamel sauce- The best part of the Lasagna.
• CHEESE- Okay, this is the best part! :D 

To your surprise, this layering is repeated a couple of times! Feels nice, right?!

Top the final layer with anything you like. I topped mine with sliced olives, some bechamel and olive oil.

This is all you want comfort food to be. Seriously! Melt-in-your-mouth cheesy, creamy, spinach-y and ah-mazing! If you're anything like me, you won't stop at a single serving, I bet. 
Can I say it's a tad bit healthy too with all that spinach and milk?
But cheese, oh cheese!
Go hide away your skinny pants. And plan to go for a run tomorrow. :P
But for now, get into the kitchen to make this. Go!

P.S. Please do not be intimidated by the list of ingredients. It might take a while to make this, but it is worth every second of your time. I promise!
Love,
Kavya

CORN AND SPINACH LASAGNA

Ingredients-

Tomato Sauce-
2 tbsp olive oil
Half small onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped fine
2 basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Half tsp oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes
splash of water

Spinach and Corn in Bechamel Sauce-
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped spinach, thick stems removed
3/4 cup sweet corn kernels, I used frozen
3 tbsp flour
2-2.5 cups milk, better with a little cream
splash of water
pinch of grated nutmeg, optional
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp oregano
chilli flakes, as per taste

Lasagna-
1 portion tomato sauce
1 portion bechamel sauce
Mozzarella cheese, as per preference, approx 1/2 cup
10-12 Lasagna sheets
1 tbsp olive oil
Pitted olives, for garnish
Water, for cooking lasagna sheets
A little salt

Method-

Tomato sauce-

1. In a pan, heat the oil.
2. Add the onions and saute till pink. Add in the garlic.
3. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper followed by the water and basil leaves.
4. Let simmer for about 7-8 minutes or till thick. 
5. Add the oregano and chilli flakes.
6. Set aside.

Bechamel Sauce with Spinach and Corn

1. In a big pan, heat the olive oil.
2. Add the onion and garlic and saute till fragrant.
3. Alternately, add the spinach and salt. Let it sweat.
4. Add the flour and cook the mixture till the smell of the flour goes away. Keep stirring the mixture.
5. Lower the flame and slowly add the milk, stirring continuously to avoid lump formation.
6. Add the pepper, nutmeg, oregano and chilli flakes.
7. Mix in the corn kernels.
8. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
9. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little water, just a little. We NEED a thick sauce so it doesn't become runny and make a mess when we layer it on the lasagna sheets.

Cook the Lasagna sheets-

1. Boil water in a deep pan. Add salt. Put in 2-3 lasagna sheets at a time and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside. Brush with a little oil to avoid them from sticking to each other.

ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA-

That's how I layered. NOT too much of anything. You don't want it to fall apart when you dig into it!

1. In a rectangular baking pan/ casserole dish, make a base of the semi-cooked lasagna sheets. I used an approximately 10" by 5"rectangular glass pan and used 3 sheets to cover it. Cut off the portion that doesn't fit. We'll use it elsewhere.
2. Coat the sheets with a small quantity of tomato sauce. Do not put too much.
3. Spread the bechamel mixture, not too much.
4. Sprinkle some cheese all over it.
5. Repeat this layering 3 more times, 10 sheets in total plus the trimmings. Use the trimmings in the center to ensure a stable layered structure of the finished lasagna.
6. Top the last layer of bechamel with extra cheese and olives.
7. Cover dish with aluminium foil.
8. Bake covered in a 180 degrees celsius preheated oven for 15 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 minutes.
9. Pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil over the lasagna.
10. Let stand covered for 2-3 minutes.
11. Serve hot and enjoy! =)