Casserole Florentine

A weeknight pasta casserole layered like a deconstructed lasagna, with hot Italian sausage, garlicky creamed spinach, and a ricotta-egg topping that puffs and turns golden in the oven. The cream of mushroom soup pulls a workhorse role here: it binds the spinach into a sauce without making a separate béchamel, which is how a casserole like this comes together in under an hour.

Florentine traditionally signals “with spinach" in classical French and American kitchens. The chopped spinach gets seasoned with tarragon and marjoram, two herbs that lean grassy and slightly licorice-sweet, which keeps the cream of mushroom from tasting flat. Fresh tomato and parsley scattered on top after baking add color and a bright finish that cuts the richness.

Kitchen Tips

• Squeeze the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel until almost no water comes out. Wet spinach turns the casserole soupy.
• Brown the Italian sausage hard in the skillet before chopping. Pale, steamed sausage gives up no fat or flavor to the dish.
• Use a wide, shallow 3-quart baker so the ricotta topping crisps over the most surface area.
• Let the casserole rest 10 minutes before scooping so the layers hold their shape on the plate.

Variations

• Swap hot Italian sausage for sweet sausage plus a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Use cottage cheese in place of ricotta for a lighter, tangier topping.
• Substitute cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom if mushrooms aren’t your thing.