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This recipe for Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna is loosely based on Ina Garten's Mushroom Lasagna. I took the idea and started to build on it. I love the way this comes out. It is indulgent.
You can't have this all the time, but it is perfect for a special meal, when you have guests, or if you have to bring something to a dinner because you can make it ahead and warm it when you want to serve it. It freezes well, too, especially if you add the cream because the extra fat ensures the sauce doesn't split.
Special Ingredients I Brought to the Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
I added a few different ingredients that enhanced the flavor of the dish.
Dried Mushrooms - You can find these in many grocery stores now. They may seem expensive, but you don't use that many at a time, and they add a depth of flavor not just to this Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna but to soups, stews, and other sauces. You rehydrate the mushrooms in boiling water and then use most of the water in the sauce. Leave about 1/4 inch at the bottom because there may be sediment you don't want in your sauce.
Spinach - Because I use uncooked noodles, you need sources of extra moisture. Spinach does this very well and tastes delicious.
Nutmeg - I don't think we use nutmeg enough or even use enough nutmeg in our dishes 😅 Nutmeg always brings that "Hmmmmm" flavor to the background. You don't exactly know what it is but it tastes great.
Using Uncooked Pasta
I'm going to be honest: I NEVER cook my pasta for lasagna. I learned a long time ago that you don't need to if you add enough sauce.
In this recipe, I recommend No-Cook lasagna noodles just to take the fear out of using uncooked pasta, but you could absolutely use regular lasagna noodles in the same way. Actually, No-Cook lasagna noodles are regular noodles that are cut thinner than regular store-bought dry lasagna noodles. Thin noodles will make your lasagna lighter as well.
I also suggested uncooked homemade pasta, and it works extremely well. I did a test, and there was no need to boil the pasta ahead of time. The key with homemade pasta is to roll it out thinner than you think because it will swell when it cooks, and you don't want your lasagna to be all pasta and a little filling.
I like to roll my pasta out in large strips. I line the baking dish with the pasta for the bottom and drape it over the sides. For the layers in between, I cut the long strips to fit the dish. Then, for the top, I fold over the draped pasta. It makes it quick and easy to assemble. You can see a version of this in the slide show below. (Please excuse the roughness of my "in process pictures...its something I'm working on 😀)
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