Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

10 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours


* 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna noodles
* 1 pound vegetarian sausage, crumbled
* 4 cups sliced mushrooms, (10 ounces)
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed
* 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably chunky
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese, (2 cups)
* 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. 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.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until warmed through, about 2 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.
4. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
5. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 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.
6. 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.

Mushroom Tofu Loaf

Mushroom Tofu Loaf

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 1/2 Tbs chopped walnut or Brazil nuts
3 1/2 Tbs rolled oats
1/2 cup chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
17.5 oz firm tofu, pressed of excess water and crumbled
3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornflour
1/2 cup stale brown bread crumbs

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the nuts, oats and mushroom. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in a small amount of stock, turn up the heat and loosen stuck on bits. Add the remaining stock and cook for 10 minutes . Add the soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick. Add to the bowl with the onions and set aside. Season to taste.
Add the tofu and arrowroot or cornflour to a food processor; puree until smooth. Add to the onion mixture and blend in enough breadcrumbs to make a thick paste; mix well/ tip gently into a non-stick or lightly oiled loaf pan measuring 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Press down firmly to pack in the mixture into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes. For optimal result, let the loaf cool for an hour or two before slicing; or make a day ahead and reheat.

Mushroom Seitan Casserole

Mushroom Casserole Recipe -- Thanks to 101

Use any cooked grain you like. Feel free to use low-fat cottage cheese or sour cream if you prefer. Use chopped seitan, veggie chicken and greens for add-ins. :)

1/2 pound (8 ounces) brown mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 large onion, well chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a bit of fresh tarragon, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside. The pan I use is slightly smaller than a classic 9x13 baking dish - just grab for something in this ballpark.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a glug of olive oil sprinkled with a couple pinches of salt. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute and remove from heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt.

Combine the rice mixture and cottage cheese mixture in a large bowl, stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or 30 minutes more or hot throughout and golden along the edges. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon, and the remaining Parmesan and enjoy.

Portobello Napoleons

Just received this from Nonnie... sounds delicious!

Portobello Napoleons

Ingredients:
2 c balsamic vinegar
6 baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
6 slices Mozzarella cheese 1/2" thick & round
1 Roma tomato, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves
1/4 c pine nuts

Note: Ideally your tomatoes, cheese and cooked mushrooms should be about the same diameter. This way it layers up pretty. Bottom to top: brown, cream, red, green, gold.



Directions:
Pour vinegar into a saucepan and cook over high heat until reduced by half. Set aside to cool.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Brush mushrooms with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 2-3 mins on each side, or until tender.

Remove from the grill and top each mushroom with a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato and a basil leaf.

Sprinkle with pine nuts and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Mushroom Stroganoff, is a great, speedy weeknight dinner, especially if you cook the noodles the night before (whole wheat egg noodles or bowties work well)

1 lb portabello mushrooms (either the large or baby bellas), cut in half and sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 - 1 1/2 c sour cream (fat free plain Greek yogurt)
1/2 - 1 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil or butter (or a little of each)
1/8 cup (or so) vegetable broth
Saute diced onions in olive oil or butter (your preference) until just soft and translucent. Add sliced mushrooms, saute until cooked through. This next step could also use a Tbs or so of white vinegar. Add broth/wine paprika and incorporate well. Turn down heat and add sour cream. Heat through, add salt & pepper to taste. Add more sour cream if the 1 cup doesn't cover everything well. Serve on top of egg noodles or rice. If you don't have enough sour cream, you can add cream cheese and it will still be very good! Mushrooms are a great source of protein as well as many other nutrients.

Mushroom Lasagna with homemade bechamel

Hoping to use this Bechamel for when I try to make the pastitsio. Until then... 2 options:

Mushroom Lasagna

For the Bechamel:
5 tbsp butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 qt milk
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly ground if possible)

Melt the butter in a large semi-heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat.
When melted, stir in the flour until smooth. Continue stirring as the flour cooks to a light golden color. (around 7 minutes) Turn up the heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in milk until thickened. Simmer gently, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the flour has softened. (around 10 to 20 minutes). Add the salt and nutmeg, mix. Remove from heat and set aside until needed for the lasagna.

For the lasagna:

About 2 1/2 c sliced mixed mushrooms of your choice (fresh and cleaned)
1 c finely chopped onion
2 c fontina cheese, shredded
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (if you don't want even the slightest hint of spice, leave it out)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to preferred taste
1 pkg ready to bake lasagna noodles
3 tbsp parmesan cheese (for topping)

Mix all ingredients together, except for the noodles and parmesan, and then pour into the Bechamel, mix well. (I will now refer to this mixture as the "sauce")
Grease a casserole dish, any kind you prefer, with olive oil, then add some of the sauce, spread well. Alternate layers of noodles and sauce until you've used it all.
Top with parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for around 30 - 40 minutes or until bubbly and noodles are completely cooked.


Or



Lasagna Rolls with Three Mushrooms, Four Cheeses and Sage Bechamel
A Burghilicious Original

For the filling:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces mixed mushrooms,* stems trimmed
2 large portobella caps, black gills removed
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 ounces mascarpone
4 ounces goat cheese
1 egg

For the sage bechamel:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup stock or water
2 cups whole milk
Pinch of nutmeg
1 large sprig of fresh sage
3/4 cup asiago, finely grated, divided
3/4 cup pecorino romano, finely grated, divided

For the lasagna:
1 pound curly lasagna, cooked in salty water
2 sprigs sage, chopped

Prepare the filling:
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large, stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for three minutes, until onions are soft. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. In a food processor,** finely chop all mushrooms. Add minced mushrooms and thyme to the pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until mushrooms are fragrant and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, beat together mascarpone, goat cheese and egg until combined. Add the warm mushroom mixture to the cheese and egg mixture, and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to assemble lasagna rolls.

Prepare the sage bechamel:
In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour all at once, and continue whisking as the roux cooks for 2-3 minutes, until its color begins to deepen. Whisk the cream, stock and milk into the roux. Add the sage sprig and a few grates of fresh nutmeg, and slowly bring just to a boil over medium heat. Boil gently for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner, and pick out the sage sprig and any leaves that have fallen off. Whisk in 1/2 cup each of asiago and pecorino romano until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Assemble the lasagna rolls:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 2 tablespoons cool mushroom-cheese mixture down the length of one lasagna noodle. Gently roll up the noodle, mushrooms in. Place the roll curly end up in a 9"x9" glass or ceramic casserole dish. Repeat with remaining lasagna noodles. Squish the final rolls into the dish to ensure every roll stands upright. Pour the bechamel over the lasagna rolls. Top with remaining cheeses, chopped sage and whispers of fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Bake for 40 minutes on a center rack. Switch the oven to broil, and toast the top of the lasagna rolls for 5 minutes or until all cheese is melted and golden-brown. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving. These little guys reheat well, so they're very smart to save for lunch.

*I used a mixture of oysters, shiitakes and creminis, which are immature portobellos.
**You could certainly chop the mushrooms by hand, but you are looking for a very fine mince that will become easily spreadable. The food processor just makes sense, and since you are getting it dirty, you may as well use it for the onion, too.