Mushroom Lasagna

Photo taken by Evan Walter

About 9 lasagna noodles
6 porcini or shitake mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup each mozzarella & parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
1 egg
Salt & Pepper
About 1 1/2 cups of your favorite Alfredo or Marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside flat on a paper towel. While the noodles are cooking, mix together the ricotta cheese, mushrooms, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, egg and salt & pepper until well blended.
Once the noodles are cooked, in an 8x8 inch baking dish, spray liberally with cooking spray. Put a layer of noodles down, then a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture, then more mozzarella. Repeat until you reach the top of the dish, and make sure to end with noodles. Pour the sauce over everything, sprinkle some more parmesan cheese overtop, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Serve hot with extra sauce on the side.

*I like this recipe a lot. The mushrooms give the lasagna a nice meatiness without having any meat in it. If you don't like mushrooms, you could always leave them out, but believe me - you can't even tell they're in there! I wouldn't recommend using button mushrooms for this only because they don't have much flavor, and don't lend as much meatiness as a porcini or shitake mushroom. However, if you can't find porcini or shitakes, go ahead and use button mushrooms. Serve this with our So Yummy Garlic Bread and you've got yourself a great meal!

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2