Smoked Ham and Spinach Lasagna

Every now and then, when you crave a decadent meal, you need to consider whipping up this smoked ham and spinach lasagna.  Because it is rich and buttery, with a beautiful creamy texture, and a smoky finish that is SO seductive.  It will make you feel like you are being naughty.  And occasionally, you just have to indulge in a naughty food moment.

I love white lasagnas because I’m not always a big fan of tomato-based sauces.  They are often more acidic than I like.  But a white lasagna uses a velvety béchamel sauce as its base, not tomato sauce.  It is truly one of life’s guilty pleasures.

White lasagnas are so versatile because you can make them with just about any filling you like.  Instead of ham, you can substitute many different proteins, like chicken, salmon, or shrimp.  They all make great pairings with the creamy béchamel.  But for today, I wanted that smokiness I mentioned earlier.  So, some cubed, hickory-smoked ham was the way to go.

let’s put together a smoked ham and spinach lasagna

This is what you need for the filling.

I prefer fresh baby spinach to frozen chopped spinach because I like the texture and color better once it is cooked in the lasagna.  I also prefer it because I don’t have to take the time to defrost and drain all the water out of the frozen spinach.

You’ll want to start by boiling water to cook the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions.  Once it is cooked, cool it down with cold water, drain the noodles well, and set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, preheat your oven to 375° F and then prep the ricotta.

Add the diced garlic and the egg to the ricotta and stir until everything is well incorporated.  Then start the béchamel sauce.

This is what you need for the béchamel sauce.  Well, this is actually a béchamel sauce with onion.  A traditional béchamel does not have onion, but I like to add that extra level of flavor to this lasagna.

Cook the onion until softened in a large skillet after melting the butter.

Once the onion is softened, pour the flour and stir well until all the onion is coated is a moist paste.

Then add the milk a cup at a time, stirring well between each addition.

Season with the ground nutmeg and salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and cook for another 10 minutes or so over medium low heat, stirring frequently.  You need to cook it well so that the sauce does not taste like raw flour.  But don’t leave the heat too high or you’ll lose too much moisture and the sauce will be too thick.  You want a nice, wet, country gravy consistency.

Once the béchamel sauce is ready, you can start assembling the smoked ham and spinach lasagna.  In a  9 x 13 lasagna dish:

1. Spread a thin layer of the béchamel sauce.
2. Lay three noodle strips side by side on top of the sauce.
3. Spread a layer of the prepared ricotta, using half of the mixture
4. Sprinkle half of the chopped spinach.
5. Then spread half of the cubed ham.
6. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan
7. Then add another layer of the béchamel sauce (using 1/3 of the remaining sauce).

Top that base with three more noodle strips and repeat another layer.

Top the second layer with three more noodle strips, the remaining béchamel sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan, in that order.

Then bake in the center of the oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbling and starting to turn golden on top.  For a nice caramelized look, you can set the oven to broil for the last 3 minutes of cooking.

You should end up with something that looks like this.

Let it sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting to serve.  The cheese will be very hot, making the layers very wet.  If you cut it too soon, much of the filling will slip out of the layers.  So, give it plenty of time.  Don’t worry, the dish will remain hot enough to eat.

After it has cooled a bit, the lasagna should have set enough to cut and serve.  Cut that baby up and load your plates!

So buttery, creamy, and smoky!  The nutmeg, garlic, onion, juicy ham, and bright spinach, held together by the tender noodles, all coming together for an “oh, yum!” kind of moment. It just hits the spot.

I hope you enjoy this smoked ham and spinach lasagna!