Mushroom Lasagna

Recently my nephew's nursery was featured on a high-traffic website and I was interested to see how many people had pinned a link to it on Pinterest. Not only did I find that it was very popular (20 pins at least!) but I also came across this wonderful recipe, courtesy of chef Rocco DiSpirito. Can you guess what my nephew's name is? :)

This mushroom lasagna is wonderful for many reasons: first, it uses no-boil noodles. If you've ever made lasagna from scratch you know how much of a pain it can be to have to boil noodles, keeping them from sticking together, laying them out to dry, etc., etc., so this was a bonus. Secondly, I absolutely love mushrooms, so for them to be the star ingredient of this dish won me over immediately. Finally, and also a deal breaker since I tend to shy away from high-fattening recipes, I found that this one was moderate compared to regular lasagna.

My grocery store didn't care whole wheat lasagna noodles so I just used the regular ones they did have. I also found out that cremini mushrooms are the same as baby portabella - who knew? Instead of sticking to the mushroom ratio listed, I just used one package of each (8 ozs) and got more bang for my buck in each bite.

Now I'm sure you're asking, well, does it actually taste good? The answer is yes. It has the gooeyness you love and expect from the cheese, and the meatiness from the mushrooms make you feel like you are having a really hearty dish. I did miss the marinara sauce used in most lasagna recipes and may throw a little bit in next time, but by no means is the lasagna dry without it. The next time you crave something homey or want to have a no-meat main dish, try this one out for size.

Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 cups reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces (about 8 sheets) no-boil whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 10 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms (baby portabella)
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms
• ½ cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the inside of an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, basil, parsley, and ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix with a spoon until blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Line the bottom of the prepared baking pan with two lasagna sheets. Top with ½ cup of the cheese mixture. Using the back of a spoon, spread the mixture so that the noodles are covered. Top with a layer of mushrooms. Repeat the procedure two more times. On the last layer, place two lasagna sheets on top of the mushrooms. Spread a layer of the remaining cheese mixture on top. Scatter the mozzarella and remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes are up, raise the temperature of the oven to 425°F, and bake for another 15 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.


Adapted from Rocco DeSpirito