Felix's Lasagna

I started with a recipe a friend gave me ages ago and adapted it to what I had and what I felt like eating. You could add some onions or garlic to the meat mixture if you felt like it, or use something other than mushrooms (or leave out that part entirely) if you don't want them. Whatever flavour or brand of spaghetti sauce is your favourite will work, as long as it's not one of the ones with meat. Excellent served with garlic or other crusty bread and a green salad. What I'm calling prep time is stove-top cooking time, and cooking time is time in the oven plus sitting time.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 9  whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons olive oil
• 1 (26 ounce) jar  spaghetti sauce (I used garlic, mushroom and roma tomato)
• 1  lb Italian sausage
• 1  lb ground beef
• 1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese (drain slightly)
• 6  ounces  shredded parmesan cheese (or Romano if you'd rather)
• 1  lb  shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can  sliced mushrooms, drained well

Directions

1. Combine, brown and crumble sausage and ground beef.
2. Add the salt and olive oil to a large pot of water and bring to a boil; add lasagna noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
3. After meat mixture is browned, drain; add spaghetti sauce, mix well, and simmer until noodles are done, stirring occasionally.
4. When noodles are done, gently remove them to a colander and rinse with cool water (be careful, they can tear easily).
5. Combine the cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 350F; put a sheet of aluminum foil on bottom oven rack to catch drips from pan.
7. Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Lay three noodles flat in bottom of dish, then spread 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella and 1/3 of meat mixture.
9. Layer another three noodles, then the mushrooms. Carefully spread cottage cheese mixture over that, then another 1/3 of the meat mixture.
10. Layer another three noodles, and pour remaining meat mixture over the top, covering it entirely.
11. Bake for 35 minutes; spread remaining mozzarella over top and bake another 10 minutes.
12. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.