Lasagna Dreaming

  I've wanted to make this lasagna for months. This past summer, I found myself on an overnight bus ride from Flores to Guatemala City with nothing to tide me over except a stale cookie left from a brief stint in San Marcos. Needless to say, I got super hungry a few hours into the trip and began thinking about all the delicious things I would eat when I got back home. Having eaten a piece of fantastic veggie lasagna at a hostel several nights earlier, I began imagining how I would could top it and create the most amazing lasagna in the world.

I forgot all about this crazy dream until winter break, when I finally decided to make the lasagna happen. It turns out lasagna's a lot easier to make than I originally thought. I kept it pretty simple with just mushrooms and spinach, but you can use whatever other left-over veggies and cheese you have in your fridge.

I made this one in a small, shallow baking pan, and it turned out fine. If you want a nice, thick lasagna, though, you've got to use a deeper pan and cook it a few minutes longer. Enjoy!

Spinach and Goat-Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients
Fresh, uncooked baby spinach leaves*
Fresh button mushrooms, stems removed and cut into chunks
Half a medium onion, diced
Several cloves of garlic, minced
1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes with basil
dried oregano
1 6-oz log garlic-and-herb goat cheese
1 package shredded mozzarella
Parmigiano reggiano, shaved
1 package lasagna noodles
salt and pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
non-stick cooking spray or cooking oil

Directions

Sauce
*Heat the oil in a sauce pot over medium. Add the onion and cook until it softens (3-4 minutes). Then, add the garlic and cook until you can really smell the garlic.
*Add the crushed tomatoes, along with a good sprinkle of dried oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer several minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Taste again and adjust the balance.

Lasagna
*Preheat oven to 375-F

*Spray your baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. If you don't have non-stick cooking spray, just schmear the pan with a thin layer of cooking oil.

*Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of the tomato sauce

*Place down a layer of noodles. Top with goat cheese cheese, veggies, sauce, and mozzarella+parmesan (in that order). If you're using a deep pan, repeat this step 1-2 times.

*For the final layer, put down noodles, sauce, and mozzarella+parmesan.

*Cover in foil and bake for about 40 minutes. If you're using a deeper tray, bake for about 10-15 minutes longer.

*Remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until the top is golden-brown. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.