Spinach and mushroom lasagne

Tamara West

We've replaced the usual white sauce with ricotta and sour cream for speedy preparation.

Ingredients

350 g	Spinach, fresh, stems removed (Main)
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
2	Onions, chopped
3 cloves	Garlic, crushed
300 g	Button mushrooms, wiped clean and thickly sliced (Main)
400 g	Canned tomatoes, chopped in juice
2 sprigs	Fresh oregano
1	Bay leaf
1 pinch	Sugar
250 g	Ricotta cheese
250 g	Sour cream
1	Egg
¼ cup	Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 packet	Dried lasagne pasta (Main)

Directions

1. Wash the spinach, allowing any remaining water to cling to the leaves. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the spinach. (Do this in two batches to prevent overcooking.) Cook for 1-1½ minutes until the spinach has wilted. Place in a sieve to drain further and set aside.
2. Add oil to the frying pan with the onions and cook over a low heat until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar. Continuing cooking, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick. Remove oregano sprigs and bay leaf.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C. Grease a medium-sized oven-proof dish.
5. Place the ricotta, sour cream and egg in a bowl and mix well. Stir through ¼ cup parmesan.
6. Spoon half the ricotta mix in to the ovenproof dish. Add a layer of pasta, breaking it up to fit snugly. Spoon over half the mushroom mixture, then half of the wilted spinach. Repeat once more finishing with the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle over remaining parmesan and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until hot and golden.

Complete the meal

Place a gratin dish of butternut pumpkin (cut into 1cm dice, tossed in olive oil, salt and black pepper) in the oven to cook beside the lasagne.