Vegetarian Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 1/2 lbs. cremini mushrooms
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil,
7 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups Tomato sauce
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tbsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. sugar

For the lasagna:

2 (10-ounce) packs frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 lb. Primo lasagna noodles (16 to 20 noodles) *
1 (500 g) container Bari ricotta cheese*
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup Kraft shredded Parmesan cheese*
4 cups Faith Farm shredded mozzarella cheese*

Sauté the mushrooms: Roughly chop then sauté mushrooms on high heat stirring frequently. Sprinkle salt over the mushrooms.

Make the sauce: Add the olive oil to the mushrooms and stir. Sauté the mushrooms, garlic, and onions for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup of the tomato sauce and put the remaining cup of tomato sauce into the pot with the mushrooms. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and one cup of water. Stir in the thyme, sugar, basil, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer on a low simmer, for 30 minutes.

Boil and drain the lasagna noodles: As per package instructions. Prepare a couple large cookie sheets or baking sheets by spreading a tablespoon of olive oil over the baking sheets. Place the lasagna noodles on the sheets, gently coating them with a bit of that olive oil and spreading them out.

Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the one cup of reserved tomato sauce over the bottom of a 10x15-inch) casserole dish. Place a layer of lasagna noodles down over the tomato sauce, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle half of the ricotta cheese over the noodles, and half of the defrosted, drained, and squeezed out spinach over the ricotta. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the spinach, and just a quarter of the pecorino cheese. Then spoon 1/3 of your mushroom sauce over the mozzarella. Sprinkle half of the fresh basil over the sauce.

Cover with foil and bake: Pull out a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to cover the casserole dish. Spread a little olive oil over the inside of the piece of foil and place over the casserole dish and crimp the edges. Bake at 360°F for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes. Take the lasagna out of the oven when done and let it rest 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Recipe and photo credit: Simply Recipes
*In Flyer Sept 26-Oct 2, 2021