Meat, Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients: 

•               1 tbsp olive oil

•               12 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped

•               1lb ground beef

•               1 yellow onion, diced

•               4 cloves of garlic, minced

•               1 tbsp fresh basil, minced

•               1/2 tsp dried oregano

•               Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

•               21 seasoning salute spice

•               1 (15 oz) container skim ricotta cheese

•               3/4 cup  Parmesan cheese

•               2 cups of baby spinach leaves

•               Package of fresh lasagna sheets (I used Divine Pasta Co from Lazy Acres)

•               2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)

•               2 jars marinara sauce (or homemade)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onion for about 10 minutes (until tender); add the garlic and cook for about 1 min (until fragrant), stirring frequently. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and 21 seasoning salute (THE BEST SEASONING!) Set aside in a bowl. Add the ground beef to the same skillet (for added flavor) and cook until it’s no longer pink. Add the marinara sauce and cook for a remaining 2 minutes.

Boil a pot of water and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Add the lasagna sheets (cook one at a time) and cook for about 3 minutes. Let cool.

In a bowl, add ricotta, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, ¼ Parmesan cheese, oregano, fresh chopped basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Combine until mixed thoroughly.

Layer a baking pan with enough of the marina mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay lasagna sheets in the pan to cover the marinara mixture. I double stack the lasagna sheets since the divine Pasta Co.’s sheets are very thin. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on the noodles, than spoon some of the mushroom mixture on top, finish by layering some spinach leaves on top, sprinkle ½ mozzarella and ½ parmesan cheese then repeat layering process. I finished the lasagna off with a shake of parsley, for looks. Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes.

Keep in mind this dish will be slightly watery because of the uncooked spinach (they hold a lot of moisture.) I was able to soak up most of the water that surfaced with a paper towel. I find cooking the spinach before makes the spinach rather chewy rather then crisp.