Rachael Ray’s Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake

Rachael Ray described this offering to the 5-year-old tester as “a dream, rich, simple and delish.“ It’s also easy to make and is loaded with 3 pounds of spinach and chard. That’s a lot. The kid agreed it was good. Except for the 3 pounds of greens.

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BROKEN FLORENTINE LASAGNA BAKE

Start to finish: 1 hour (15 minutes active)

Servings: 4

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Ground nutmeg, to taste

1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, cracked

1 bunch green chard, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

2 pounds spinach, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

12-ounce box no-boil lasagna noodles

Heat the oven to 375 F.

In a medium saucepan over medium, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Let the milk mixture heat and thicken a couple of minutes, then stir in about 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Set the sauce aside.

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high, heat the olive oil. Toss in the garlic clove and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chard and wilt it down, about 2 minutes, then add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time as they wilt down. Season with salt and pepper.

Break the pasta sheets into large pieces. Toss them into the skillet and give them a good stir to incorporate them with the greens. Pour the sauce into the skillet, stirring again to evenly mix. Smooth the top down and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano over it.

Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for another 15 minutes to brown the cheese.

(Recipe from Rachael Ray)