Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

My husband wasn't home for Christmas day so we didn't do a traditional dinner.  Several days after Christmas I made this lasagna and we both loved it.  My daughter even liked it (that's saying a lot for her).

This recipe was easy to make, well no harder than a regular lasagna and was quicker because there wasn't any meat.  I loved the cremini mushrooms but they weren't all that easy to find.  I went to three stores before I found some but they were absolutely delicious.  Perfect for this recipe.

The creaminess of the sauce and the stringy cheese was amazing.  I might have added a little more cheese than indicated....

Also, I found that the leftover lasagna was even better!  The flavors just got enhanced by the next day, I love it.

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta
• 2 (10 oz) packages frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of nutmeg 
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Use a large skillet to melt the butter, then add the garlic, mushrooms, and onion.  Cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. 
3. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for about 1 minute. 
4. Slowly add the milk while stirring to avoid clumps of flour. Add the basil, oregano and nutmeg and then salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and let sit until needed. 
5. Cook the lasagna noodles as indicated on the package instructions. 
6. Begin to assemble the lasagna by using a 9x13 inch pan.  Put 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan and top with 3 noodles. 
7. Spread 1/2 the ricotta over the noodles.  Top that with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of Parmesan and then another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta and 1 more cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. 
8. Finish with 3 more noodles and dump the sauce over the top.  Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. 
9. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Broil for 2-3 minutes just to get some brown on the top. 
10. Let cool for about 15 minutes and garnish with parsley if desired.