Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage..."

This is the third lasagna we've made since starting our healthy eating and this one much more flavor than the others. I loved the mushrooms and the spinach. I'm not usually a fan of this kind of sausage but with all the other good flavors I really didn't mind it. Husband made this himself and he says it was worth the effort. Plus there are lots of yummy leftovers. Also see below for a vegetarian option. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Eating Well

Prep Time:
30 Min

Total Time:
30 Min

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 pound lean spicy Italian turkey sausage casings removed (see Variation)
• 4 cups sliced mushrooms (10 ounces)
• ¹⁄₄ cup water
• 1 pound frozen spinach thawed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes preferably chunky
• ¹⁄₄ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese (2 cups)
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded (about 2 cups), divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until not quite tender, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water and set aside.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and water; cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage more, until it is cooked through, the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water, then stir into the pan; remove from heat.
4. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
5. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles. Top with half the sausage mixture, one-third of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, the remaining sausage, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles and the remaining tomatoes.
6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Vegetarian Variation: Use a sausage-style soy product, such as Gimme Lean, or simply omit the sausage altogether.
7. Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 5 up to 1 day ahead.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 333

Fat: 14 g

Cholesterol: 41 m

Carbohydrate: 28 g

Fiber: 7 g

Protein: 26 g