My Wild Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna dish is loaded with flavor. I promise you won’t miss the meat! Mushrooms can be a great meat substitute. Their meaty texture and earthy flavor, paired with spinach, fresh mozzarella, and creamy Béchamel sauce, take comfort food to a whole other level.

My Wild Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna video will take you through a shortened version of this recipe. No one wants to watch an entire video from start to finish on making a Lasagna. To keep the video short and sweet, I decided to prepare all the components for the lasagna in advance. While generally going through the steps, the video concentrates on the assembly and the cooking process.

The picture above shows the lasagna after it’s rested for 20 minutes. The picture below is after the entire casserole dish has been refrigerated overnight, and a slice was cut.  You can see a big difference in the presentation. Truth be told, I think lasagna is always better on the second day.

If you’d like to check out some more of my cooking videos, visit my channel called Always Home-Cooked.

Prep Time: 1 hour (includes the time it takes to prepare all the ingredients for this dish)
Cook Time: 45
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 12 servings
Equipment: 1 (3-quart) baking dish (15″ x 9 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ high), 1 (6-quart) saucepot, 3 large mixing  bowls, 1 medium-size bowl, Rondeau brasing pot (large deep-sided frying pan), chef’s knife, Microplane, cutting board

Ingredients for the Pasta:
2 boxes of dried oven-ready lasagna noodles ( you may only need a little over 1 box)

Ingredients for Sautèed Wild Mushrooms:
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 large Portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 pint of white Button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 pints of Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
5 Oyster mushrooms, cleaned, with the central stems removed and discarded
6 Trumpet mushrooms, bottom tips removed, then sliced into 2-inch pieces
10 Shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and discarded, caps sliced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced (approx. 6 garlic cloves)
2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly-ground
1/4 cup beef stock, unsalted, substitute vegetable stock or a good red wine

Ingredients for the Spinach:
2 (10-ounce) packages of thawed frozen spinach, drained of any excess water

Ingredients for the Cheese Mixture:
1 package of fresh Mozzarella, sliced into 14 rounds
1 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly-ground
1 cup (8 ounces) of store-bought low-moisture shredded Mozzarella

Ingredients for the Ricotta Cheese Mixture:
24 ounces of whole milk ricotta cheese (3/4 of a 32-ounce container)
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1/4 cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Ingredients for the Béchamel Sauce:
4 cups of whole milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, unsalted
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1/4 teaspoon of whole nutmeg, freshly-ground

Garnish:
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Instructions for the Sautéed Wild Mushrooms:
In a large deep-sided frying pan (if you don’t have one of these pans, sauté your mushrooms in two batches, about 5 minutes per batch) over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil, then add the fresh and dried thyme. Next, add the mushrooms, tossing and stirring continuously. As the mushrooms cook, they’ll first release their water and then caramelize.

Add in the minced garlic and black pepper, again, stirring occasionally.  Once all their water has evaporated, there will be mushroom bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock and scrape up the delicious bits using a wooden spoon. Once the mushrooms have started to brown, add the salt. Continue stirring and allow the mushrooms to cook, absorbing the remaining beef broth, and become tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Instructions for the Spinach:
Defrost both boxes of frozen spinach the day before. Once thawed, drain and squeeze the spinach from any excess water. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

Instructions for the Cheese Mixture:
Place store-bought shredded Mozzarella cheese in a bowl and set aside. Chop up the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into small chunks and place them into a food processor. Pulse a few times until you have the consistency of ground cheese. For the fresh Mozzarella, slice the Mozzarella into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place all prepped cheeses in the fridge until needed.

Instructions for the Ricotta Cheese Mixture:
In a large bowl, add Ricotta, 3 beaten large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon each of Kosher salt and pepper, and finely chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley. Mix until well combined and set aside.

Instructions for the Béchamel Sauce:
Bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, whisking constantly until the flour has cooked out and becomes blonde in color. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon each of Kosher salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly-ground nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Double-check the thickness of the Béchamel sauce by dipping a wooden spoon into the sauce. Take your finger and make a line down the back of the spoon. If the sauce remains separated and doesn’t run together, the sauce is ready. Immediately transfer to a large bowl. Place plastic wrap directly over the sauce to prevent a skin from forming, and set aside.

Assembling the Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Start by buttering the bottom of the baking dish.
Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of oven-ready noodles on top, then ladle more Bechamel sauce. Sprinkle both grated Parmesan and shredded  Mozzarella cheeses. Next, add half the spinach and mushrooms. To that, add the fresh Mozzarella slices.  Repeat this process once more. Next, add all of the Ricotta mixtures and top with another layer of the noodles. Lightly press your hands on the top of the dish to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed and level. Over that last layer of noodles, top with the rest of the Bechamel sauce and a final sprinkle of both grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and shredded Mozzarella cheeses. Add a sprinkle of dried parsley over the top for color.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot. Once the lasagna is out of the oven, let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.

There you have it, my Wild Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna.

Notes:
1)  This dish will require approximately 1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms in total.

2) Instructions for Reheating Refrigerated Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Pour between 2 tablespoons or 1/4 cup of water over the lasagna (depending on its size). Spray the dull side of the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Place the sprayed side down over the lasagna and seal tightly around the edges of the baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until lasagna is hot and bubbly.

3) Instructions for Freezing Fully-Cooked Lasagna:
Ensure the lasagna has cooled completely for at least 1.5 hours. Wrap the entire baking dish in freezer-safe plastic wrap. This ensures there are no gaps where air can’t get in and cause freezer burn. Then place foil over the top. It can last up to three months.

4) Instructions for Cooking Frozen Lasagna:
Transfer the frozen lasagna to the refrigerator 24 hours in advance.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Before transferring it to the oven, remove the foil and plastic wrap and replace the dish with new foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray on the dull side of the foil.  Add 2 tablespoons to a 1/4 cup (depending on the size of the lasagna) of water over the top of the lasagna. Place the sprayed side down over the top, and seal the edges tightly. This will prevent any cheese from sticking to the foil. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

5) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2018/06/11/sauteed-wild-mushrooms/