savoury

Mushroom Spinach Lasagne

• time: 135
• servings: 8

Ingredients

• 680 g cremini mushrooms
• 225 g shiitake mushrooms
• 2 g salt
• 150 g onion
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 170 g tomato paste
• 720 ml tomato sauce
• 800 g crushed tomatoes
• 240 ml water
• 3 g dried thyme
• 12 g sugar
• 1 g red pepper flakes
• 450 g lasagna sheets
• 560 g frozen chopped spinach
• 425 g ricotta cheese
• 450 g mozzarella cheese
• 115 g pecorino cheese
• 15 g fresh basil

Cookware

• large sauté pan
• wooden spoon
• oven
• large casserole dish
• baking sheets

Method

Sauté the Mushrooms

1. Place cremini mushrooms roughly chopped and shiitake mushrooms roughly chopped in a large sauté pan on high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon from time to time.
2. Sprinkle salt over the mushrooms. They will release water (this is dry sautéing).
3. Once the mushrooms start to release water, stir in onion chopped. Cook until the mushroom water has boiled away, about 5 minutes more.

Make the Sauce

1. Add extra virgin olive oil to the mushrooms and stir to coat. Sauté for about a minute, then add garlic chopped and cook for another minute.
2. Stir in tomato paste and cook for a minute. Reserve 240%ml of tomato sauce for the bottom of the dish, and add the remaining 240%ml to the pot.
3. Add crushed tomatoes and water.
4. Stir in dried thyme, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cook the Pasta

1. Preheat oven to 175%C. Spread the reserved tomato sauce over the bottom of a large casserole dish.
2. Cook lasagna sheets in salted boiling water for 8 minutes until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and lay on oiled baking sheets to prevent sticking.

Assemble the Lasagne

1. Thaw and squeeze excess moisture from frozen chopped spinach in a clean towel.
2. Layer lasagne over the sauce, slightly overlapping. Spread half the ricotta cheese over the lasagne, then half the spinach.
3. Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese shredded and a quarter of the pecorino cheese shredded. Spoon a third of the mushroom sauce over the top. Scatter half the fresh basil chopped.
4. Repeat the layers: lasagne, remaining ricotta, remaining spinach, remaining mozzarella, another quarter of pecorino, another third of sauce, and remaining basil.
5. Add the final layer of lasagne, spread remaining sauce on top, and sprinkle with remaining pecorino.

Bake

1. Cover with oiled aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.
2. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.