Delicious Healthy Lasagna

This lasagna offers a healthier variation than the standard lasagna, but is balanced to offer great flavor.  Options to make it even more healthy:

• substitute turkey-based italian sausage for the normal pork italian sausage (or skip the sausage all together and substitute additional mushroom types and/or diced eggplant.  If skipping the sausage, add a tablespoon of fennel seed and a 1/4 cup of finely chopped flat-leaf italian parsley to the mixture while cooking in the skillet)
• skip the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and use less of the low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella (low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella is about 70% of the calories and fat of Parmigiano Reggiano, the "undisputed king of cheeses", but doesn't come close from a flavor perspective)
• (for the real adventurous) use large, thin, roasted slices of zucchini or eggplant instead of the pasta sheets (roasted to remove the natural liquid in the zucchini/eggplant that would otherwise make the lasagna watery)
• substitute low-fat, 1% milkfat cottage cheese for the low-fat ricotta (48% the calories, 12% the fat of the ricotta)
• skip the egg
• skip the white wine
• try to eat smaller portions ;-)

Wine recommendation: a nice Italian red of course

Delicious Healthy Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 lb or 2 - 3 links of sweet italian sausage (it using links, remove and discard the outer casing)
• 2 large portabella mushroom caps or 6 oz package of sliced portabella mushrooms (small dice)
• 1 medium sweet onion (small dice that should equate to 1 to 1 1/2 cups of diced onion)
• 4 cloves of garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine (such as pinot gris)
• 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 28 oz can of peeled whole plum tomatoes (drain and discard surrounding liquid)
• 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 bunch of fresh basil (discard stems, chop into small pieces)
• 15 oz container of low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 egg (crack into bowl removing any shell; beat to a smooth consistency)
• 1 package of frozen chopped spinach (remove spinach from bag/box and place in small mesh strainer;  run under hot water to completely thaw; shake as much liquid out of spinach as possible while in strainer; fold three large paper towel sheets onto themselves, place thawed spinach in center, close paper towel around spinach and carefully squeeze over sink to move most of the liquid; repeat with another dry set of paper towels to completely remove liquid from thawed spinach)
• box of whole grain lasagna pasta sheets (pasta should be brown if whole grain)
• 16 oz bag of shredded, low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (parmesan cheese is really no comparison to Parmigiano Reggiano in terms of flavor; no matter what, do not use the stuff in the large green tube)

Method

Prepare "meat" mixture: In a large, non-stick skillet begin to brown italian sausage on medium high (6 on a 10 position heat scale) (non-stick allows us to avoid adding any oil).  As sausage is browning, chop into very small pieces (using wooden or plastic tool; do not use metal on your non-stick cookware). After about 4 minutes, add mushrooms, onion, and a small dash of gray sea salt to skillet and continue to cook. After about 3 minutes when the mushrooms are looking partially cooked (become darker in color and slightly smaller in size as they give off liquid), temporarily remove skillet from heat in order to carefully drain and discard any sausage grease and mushroom liquid from skillet. Return skillet to heat and stir in garlic. After 1 minute of cooking, add white wine to skillet and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated (the wine will add a depth of flavor to the mushrooms).  Add the crushed tomatoes, the plum tomatoes (add one tomato to skillet at a time, using hands to pull apart the tomato over the skillet into small pieces), the tomato paste, the basil, and another dash of gray sea salt.  Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and then turn off heat.

Prepare ricotta mixture:  In a medium to small bowl, mix ricotta, egg, spinach and a small dash of gray sea salt until well mixed.

Assemble and bake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).  In a 13 x 9 pyrex or similar bakeware, spread a thin layer of the meat mixture to barely cover the bottom (should be about a cup of mixture or so), add a single layer of uncooked pasta sheets (you may need to break off some corners to neatly fit corners of bakeware; do not precook the pasta sheets--they will be cooked in the oven).  Spread half of the remaining meat mixture on top of the first pasta layer.  Spread half of the ricotta spinach mixture on top of the meat layer.  Spread half of the mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano on top of the ricotta spinach layer.  Add the second layer of uncooked pasta sheets to cover the first cheese layer. Spread the remaining meat mixture over the second pasta layer, followed by the remaining ricotta spinach mixture, followed by the remaining cheeses.  Use the flat of your open hands, gently press down lasagna in bakeware to pack and make level.  Tightly cover with aluminum foil and make in the oven for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!