Green Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

By rmulleni

Ingredients

• Olive oil cooking spray, for the baking dish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 2 cups shredded spinach
• 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 cups homemade marinara sauce
• 6 no- boil lasagna sheet noodles
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• Homemade Marinara Sauce
• 2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Two 28- ounce cans unsalted organic crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup finely julienned spinach

Details

Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from today.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13- inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray and set aside.

In a large sauté pan, warm the olive oil over medium- low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms, spinach, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Place the ricotta cheese in a large bowl, and, using a spatula, gently fold in the cooled mushroom-spinach mixture until completely incorporated.

Assemble the lasagna

Using the prepared baking dish, assemble the lasagna in six layers as follows: 1 cup Homemade Marinara, spread evenly; 3 lasagna noodle sheets (arranged in a single layer); ¾ cup of the spinach-mushroom- and-ricotta mixture, spread evenly. Repeat the layering a second time, then top with the remaining spinach-mushroom-and-ricotta mixture, and finish with the grated Pecorino or Romano on top. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven, on the middle rack, for about 25 minutes.

After 20 minutes have passed, remove the foil from the baking dish and move the baking dish to the top rack. To finish, bake, uncovered, for another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how you love your lasagna finished.

Remove the lasagna from the oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Clean green tip: If you can't find no-boil lasagna noodles, you can use regular lasagna noodles, no problem. Boil them until al dente (firm to the tooth), strain, and shock with cool water, then line them up on a lightly oiled baking sheet before assembling the lasagna. That's how they do it in restaurants!


Marinara CSauce

Preparation

In a large stockpot, warm the extra-virgin olive oil over low heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes on low heat.

Add the crushed tomatoes and fresh oregano leaves and give the sauce a good stir. Cook on low for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

When the sauce has reduced and thickened, finish with the sea salt, balsamic vinegar, and julienned spinach. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes and serve or use in recipes as needed.

Clean green tip: Canned tomatoes actually contain higher amounts of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh tomatoes. And your body absorbs the nutrients in canned tomatoes better than fresh. Sounds crazy, but it's totally true. Tomatoes are heated before they're canned, and this temperature change makes lycopene easier for the body to absorb. So store those canned tomatoes as a household staple!