Creamy Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Shake up your traditional lasagna with this recipe.

Becky Low shares how to make this noodle dish without the red sauce.

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
9 lasagna noodles
1 pound fresh spinach
1 pound mushrooms
¼ cup butter
½ cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
3 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt, more less/taste
¼ teaspoon pepper, more/less to taste
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Dash nutmeg
2 cups whole milk Ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded cooked chicken, optional
Fresh parsley, optional garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse, lay flat on prepared baking sheet.

Place spinach in saucepan with 2-3 tablespoons water; cover and steam until spinach is wilted. Drain liquid from spinach while preparing sauce.

Trim, clean and slice mushrooms. Melt butter in a saucepan; add sliced mushrooms and chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until onions are transparent and mushrooms are tender. Stir in flour; continue to stir until butter is lightly browned. Stir in milk, continue to stir until mixture comes to a boil. Simmer 1 minute. Season to taste with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and nutmeg.

Spread 1-cup sauce over bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles on sauce; spread with ½ the Ricotta cheese, ½ the optional chicken, ½ the spinach, ½ the remaining sauce and 1-cup the Mozzarella cheese. Repeat to create a second layer. Top with remaining noodles, sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella cheese and with Parmesan cheese. Bake 40-50 minutes or until bubbly throughout and golden brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serves 8-10.

Notes:
Recipe may be frozen for later. Prepare lasagna as directed above in a freezer/oven safe pan. Do not bake. Wrap, date and freeze. When ready to use, place in refrigerator to thaw; unwrap, bake in preheated oven for 60+ minutes or until golden brown and bubbly throughout.

Becky Low represents The Dairy Council of Utah/Nevada. For delicious dairy recipes and nutrition information go to www.dairycouncilutnv.com or Facebook www.facebook.com/DairyUTNV. For nutrition research go to www.nationaldairycouncil.org.