Portabella Mushroom With Spinach and Feta Lasagna (Vegetarian)

Submitted by Kittencalrecipezazz

"This is a wonderful vegetarian dish! If desired, regular mushrooms may be substituted for the portabellos, but the regular mushrooms should be sautéed first to release any moisture, To make things easier, you may Classico pasta sauce for this recipe or just use your own favorite sauce --- prep time includes boiling the pasta."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 9 -10 lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice, undrained (Italian style is okay)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄2 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (more if desired)
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (more if desired)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1⁄2 - 1 lb portabella mushroom, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

directions

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles until soft.
4. Meanwhile in a saucepan, stir together the tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar and seasonings; heat till a medium boil; reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. in a medium bowl, stir together 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, spinach and the egg.
6. In the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom.
7. Layer 3 pieces of cooked lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
8. Then 1/2 of the cheese mixture.
9. Then 1/2 of the sliced mushrooms.
10. Then another 1/3 of the sauce; repeat.
11. Top with the remaining pasta, then the balance of the sauce and then mozzarella cheese.
12. Cover with foil; bake for 25 minutes, uncover, and bake for 5-7 minutes longer, or until the cheese melts.

Reviews

[Jonathan Melendez]

Delicious and hearty lasagna without any meat! I loved the mushrooms and it came together rather easily.

 

[GourmetGrandma]

Excellent! As always, Kittencal never disappoints! The only note I would add is that I realized the sauce needs to be divided into 4ths, not 3rds...bottom, two layers & top.

 

[Paris D]

This was good. With a few changes, it could be great. As it is written, we felt it had way too much tomato paste (which lent a tinny, canned flavor to the dish). I would recommend cutting the tomato paste in half. I also think it needs some ricotta cheese, which could actually help cut the overwhelming tomato flavor of this dish. Overall, I think the cheese component needs to be beefed-up a bit. We used six large portabella mushroom caps (14 oz). This was a perfect amount.

 

[rpgaymer]

Wow, I really liked this more than I thought I would. It's the sauce that really made the dish for me, although I used canned tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes. The addition of balsamic vinegar made the sauce tasty and tangy. I also added some brown sugar to the sauce, as I usually do when I make tomato sauce. I did seem to run out of sauce by the time I got to the top lasagna layer, so I'd urge people to double the sauce amount. Even if you have leftover sauce, you'll love eating it with bread or something.

 

[doglover aka Jane]

Excellent! I do make a few modifications, basically because we like lots of cheese. I use a full 8 ounces of feta and 3 cups of shredded mozzarella in the lasagna itself (about 12 ounces). I up it to two eggs so it will bind well. I don't increase the amount of spinach. I put an extra 1 cup of mozzarella on the top, but not until it is done baking for about 45 minutes. I'm not sure why I need to bake it longer than the recipe states. After it is fully heated through and the mushrooms are cooked, I remove the cover and sprinkle the 1 cup (4 ounces) of mozzarella on top. Then I bake about 10 minutes longer until the mozzarella is melted. This has become a go-to recipe and is made every 2 or 3 weeks.<br/><br/>I have discovered that substituting a 24 ounce jar of Prego chunky vegetable, mixed with 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar works as well for us as making the sauce from scratch -- and is much quicker. <br/><br/>I have also used white button mushrooms instead of portabella but it is essential to cook them first. <br/><br/>If time permits, I also cook the portabellas first. I just like it a little bit better this way, but it is not essential.<br/><br/>Thank you for the yummy, and easy, lasagna recipe