Spinach Lasagna

We have been trying to do one vegetarian meal a week. Spinach Lasagna was this weeks meal and it was so good. The sauce and spinach mixture were just delicious! Another "do-over" at our house. Both of us loved this meal and were even excited about leftovers! We cut the recipe in half for us and used a 8x8in square pan and it worked out well. We also doubled the amount of spinach the recipes calls for because we thought a little more wouldn't hurt and it didn't! We assembled the lasagna the night before and popped it into the oven the next day. If you do this be sure to extend the cooking time by about 20-40 minutes or up the oven degrees. We also talked about making two of these (which would be the whole recipe for us) and freezing one pan for a week or so later. Kind of like a frozen HOMEMADE dinner. I'll update if we ever try that and let you guys know how it was.

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
20 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups fresh spinach
3 cups ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.

Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving.