Stuff You Need
- ½ cup full-fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- Salt and black pepper
- 12 ounces Italian sausage (sweet or hot), casings removed and broken into ½-inch chunks
- 8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 5 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 jar (about 24 oz) marinara or tomato-basil pasta sauce
- 6 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella
Stuff to Know Before Cooking
Whole-milk cottage cheese gives the best flavor, but low-fat works in a pinch. Avoid nonfat cottage cheese.
I used Rao’s marinara for this recipe.
Preheat Oven to 425°F
Move the oven rack to the middle position.
Prepare Cottage Cheese Mixture
In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, grated Parmesan, minced garlic, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
Cook Sausage and Mushrooms
In another bowl, mix the sausage chunks, sliced mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Cover and microwave, stirring once or twice, until the sausage is cooked through and the mushrooms release their liquid, about 9 minutes.
Add the spinach and microwave until wilted, about 1 minute.
Transfer the mixture to a colander and let drain for 5 minutes, pressing with a spoon to remove excess liquid.
Assemble Lasagna
Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom. Lay down 2 no-boil noodles, slightly overlapping if needed.
Add half of the sausage mixture, half of the cottage cheese mixture, and ½ cup of shredded mozzarella.
Repeat with 2 more noodles, 1 cup marinara, the remaining sausage mixture, the remaining cottage cheese mixture, and another ½ cup mozzarella.
Place the last 2 noodles on top, cover with the remaining marinara sauce, and sprinkle with the final 1 cup of mozzarella.
Bake the Lasagna
Cover the dish tightly with greased aluminum foil and bake until the edges are bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Uncover and continue baking until the cheese is golden in spots, about 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through.
Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Sausage Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- ½ cup full-fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- Salt and black pepper
- 12 ounces Italian sausage sweet or hot, casings removed and broken into ½-inch chunks
- 8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced
- 5 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 jar about 24 oz marinara or tomato-basil pasta sauce
- 6 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and adjust the rack to the middle position.
- In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, Parmesan, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- In another bowl, combine the sausage, mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Cover and microwave for about 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked and mushrooms release their liquid.
- Stir in the spinach and microwave for 1 more minute, until wilted.
- Transfer mixture to a colander and drain for 5 minutes, pressing with a spoon to remove excess moisture.
- Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
- Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish.
- Lay down 2 no-boil lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping if needed.
- Add half the sausage mixture, half the cottage cheese mixture, and ½ cup shredded mozzarella.
- Add 2 more noodles, 1 cup marinara sauce, the remaining sausage mixture, the remaining cottage cheese mixture, and another ½ cup mozzarella.
- Top with the final 2 noodles, spread the remaining marinara sauce on top, and finish with the last 1 cup mozzarella.
- (If making ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Increase covered baking time to 45 minutes.)
- Cover tightly with greased foil and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling at the edges.
- Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, rotating the dish halfway through, until the cheese is golden in spots.
- Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
