Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Recipe

Servings: 6 to 8
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 2 hours

for the homemade pasta:
2 cups semolina flour, plus more for dusting

for the filling:
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
kosher salt
3 pounds|1361 grams cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
30 ounces|850 grams frozen spinach, defrosted, drained thoroughly, and roughly chopped
6 cups shredded mozzarella
3 cups ricotta cheese
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the bechamel:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups|946 ml whole milk
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the lasagna:
1 pound|454 grams homemade pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
⅔ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Make the pasta: Mix the flour and ⅔ cup|158 ml water in a mixer fitted with a dough hook, adding an additional tablespoon of water as needed, until smooth and slightly elastic. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pasta dough will keep, refrigerated, for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
2. To form the pasta, divide the dough into four pieces. Lightly flour a work surface. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered with a damp towel. Roll the piece through the second thinnest setting on a pasta machine and lay it on a work surface. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
3. Make the filling: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add the garlic and onions and season with salt. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 8 minutes more. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a colander to drain for 20 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Then press out any remaining liquid. transfer the mushrooms to a large bowl; add the spinach, 3 cups of the mozzarella, and the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
4. Make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high; add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and combine with the mushroom mixture.
5. Assemble the lasagna: If using store-bought pasta, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, then toss gently with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
6. If using our homemade pasta, cut the dough into four pieces, keeping the other pieces covered with a cloth while you work with each piece. Press the piece into a rectangle that measures about 3 by 4 inches and feed it through the widest roller setting on your pasta machine. Fold the dough into a rectangle and repeat, switching the setting down to one narrower after each go, until the dough has gone through the second-thinnest setting. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough until you have four 5-inch-wide sheets of pasta measuring 2 to 3 feet long. Dust the sheets with semolina and trim each sheet into 13-inch lengths. Do not boil.
7. Heat the oven to 375°F. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. If using store-bought pasta, lay three sheets of lasagna in the dish. If using homemade pasta, lay 2 sheets in the dish. Spread 2 cups of filling evenly over the pasta and sprinkle with ½ cup of the remaining mozzarella. Top with three more sheets of pasta and continue layering with filling and mozzarella. Once you get to the final layer, top with the remaining filling and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella, then the Parmesan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and turn the oven to broil. Cook the lasagna for another 5 minutes and remove from the oven. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This recipe is reprinted with permission of the author from MUNCHIES Guide to Dinner: How to Feed Yourself and Your Friends.

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