Lasagna with Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Spinach

Note: I took this picture really fast because I was starving.  The layers actually came out much better and put together than it looks; I am terrible with serving utensils.  

This was my first lasagna... I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to do it, but I had very specific ingredients in mind before making it.  Namely, spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini. And lots of cheese.  I got a few good tips from my mom about sauteing the spinach before hand, squeezing the moisture out of it, and mixing it in with the ricotta.  Otherwise, I kept track of what I put in it because I started throwing some random stuff in.  I liked how the red pepper flakes added a little kick to it.

Ingredients

9-12 lasagna noodles (depending on how many you can get in each layer)
15oz ricotta cheese
2 15oz jars tomato sauce or equivalent homemade sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 6oz packages of fresh spinach
3 zucchinis, sliced
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook lasagna noodles according to instructions.  Remove from water and set aside.

2. Saute spinach in olive oil until wilted and squeeze dry until as much moisture as possible is gone.  Saute zucchini and mushrooms in olive oil until cooked through but not mushy.  Pat dry with paper towels and mix with some salt.

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together: ricotta cheese, garlic, spinach, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, egg, basil, and one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.

4. In a 9x13 rimmed baking dish: spread one jar of sauce as the first layer, lay the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, spread half of the zucchini and mushrooms over the ricotta, and repeat (except for the sauce, which goes on top of the last noodle layer). On top of the 3rd layer of noodles, add the next jar of sauce, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Turkey Meatballs

I've been hiding in final paper/project land lately, but things are finally starting to wind down.  I've still been cooking, but making some easier things using sauce from a jar (!!!) and store bought bread crumbs (gasp!) to make my life a bit easier.  I'm just kidding, I'm really not too snobby to use these things on a regular basis.  Martha Stewart does!  

I forgot how fun it is to make meatballs and how you can pretty much add anything (except mayonnaise) and they'll be delicious.  They are also so great cold the next day for lunch.  I saw one recipe that used crushed pine nuts in the meatballs, but since pine nuts are out of my budget, I used walnuts.  I actually kept them coarsely ground and I liked the crunch it gave the meatballs, but you can always fully puree them to avoid this.

Ingredients

1.25 pounds ground turkey
3/4 cup fresh (or not) breadcrumbs
1/4 cup coarsely ground walnuts
2 garlic cloves
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
About 4 tablespoons olive oil

1.  In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together well.  Form mixture into meatballs by rolling with your hands, making each meatball about 1 inch around.

2. Add 2 tablespoons olive to a sautee pan over medium heat.  Add half of the meatballs and turns over as they cook until they are fully cooked through.  Repeat process for 2nd half of meatballs. 

All the ingredients: 

Meatball "dough"? 

Browning: 

I could have made this recipe a "spaghetti and meatball" recipe, but I know you all know how to make spaghetti and add sauce to it.  Top with meatballs. Voila.