Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

This is quite possibly the tastiest and most beautiful lasagna I've ever made. I used leftover the meat sauce that I just made last week, which I'm sure added a lot of flavor. I also used chopped fresh baby spinach rather than the kale the original recipe called for. I didn't think it needed to be blanched before it was added to the dish, and it worked out great just using it raw.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
A variation on this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen



1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped small
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped small
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup water
4 cups finely chopped fresh baby spinach
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups low-fat Mozzarella or other low-fat white cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium heat; add onions and saute until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, chopped mushrooms, ground fennel, and dried basil and saute about 5 minutes more, or until the mushrooms lose their water and the liquid has evaporated. Add the vegetarian marinara sauce and water and turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the chopped spinach, cottage cheese, beaten eggs, and finely grated Parmesan.

Spray a 9x13-inch lasagna dish with nonstick spray. Lay 3 uncooked lasagna noodles across the dish. Cover with 1/2 the tomato-mushroom sauce, spreading it across the noodles so they're all covered with sauce. Then add 1/2 the spinach mixture, spreading it out with a rubber scraper, and sprinkle over 1 cup of the grated low-fat Mozzarella. Make a second layer of lasagna noodles, tomato-mushroom sauce, spinach mixture, and cheese.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake 50 minutes without removing the foil. Take the dish out of the oven and remove foil. Cook 25 minutes more with foil removed, or until the lasagna noodles are soft, and the lasagna is bubbling and lightly browned on top. Let lasagna cool 5-10 minutes before cutting; then cut into pieces and serve hot.