Spinach-Mushroom Lasagna

Last night, I tried a recipe that I found on RecipeZaar for Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna. This was soooo good! All three of us really liked it. Carson just LOVED it - he wouldn't stop eating! It takes some prep work, but it was totally worth it. And the directions seem really long, but its really very simple if you're used to making lasagnas. I've never made a lasagna with just the white bechamel sauce - I usually use tomato sauce, but have done some lasagnas using both sauces. I ended up making a full pan - which I'm glad I did now! I froze some for some quick dinners/lunches in the future, plus have dinner for another night the week, a lunch for Kevin, and have dinners for Carson for the rest of the week. I used organic pasta, mushrooms, onion, garlic, broth, milk.

I'll update with a picture later in the week.

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

7 tablespoons butter, divided
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onion (I just used 1 yellow onion to substitute for the green onion and shallot)
1/4 cup minced shallot
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed,squeezed dry (I used fresh steamed spinach)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream (I just used 2% milk)
1/3 cup dry white vermouth (I just added more broth)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 lb jarlsberg cheese or provolone cheese or havarti cheese, shredded (I used provolone)
1/4 lb smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 cup half-and-half (I just used 2% milk)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions; drain, rinse immediately with cold water and then drain again; toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat; add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add the green onions, shallots, and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add the drained, chopped spinach, white pepper, and salt, stir well and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.

Transfer the mushroom/spinach mixture to a bowl and set aside (do not rinse out this pan - we're going to use it again in the upcoming steps).

Over medium heat melt the remaining butter in the previously-used saucepan; add the flour and cook, stirring constantly to keep it from browning.

Gradually add the chicken or vegetable broth, cream, and vermouth; cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.

As soon as sauce begins to boil, remove it from the heat and season with thyme and basil.

Combine the shredded cheeses together until well mixed.

Butter, oil, or lightly spray the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Pour the half-and-half into the bottom of the baking pan.

Lay 4 cooked noodles in a single layer in the pan.

Layer with 1/3 each of the mushroom/spinach mixture and shredded cheeses, then coat with 1/3 of the sauce.

Repeat the process twice, ending with the sauce.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan (if using).

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer.

Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.