Mushroom, Sausage & Spinach Lasagna

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

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.

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.

Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

To assemble lasagna:

Spread ½ 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.

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.