Spinach Lasagna

You know it's fall when I start craving lasagna! And yes, I'll be the first to admit I use real cheese in this recipe instead of a vegan substitute, though that is certainly an option.  It is WORTH it to buy farm-fresh cheese from a supplier you know if you want it and are going to eat cheese anyway.

And on a related topic, more than a few people asked me if I would start eating meat when I got pregnant (???) - I'm not sure if they assumed I would have "cravings" that would overcome my ethics or if they honestly just think being vegetarian is one thing for yourself, another to "inflict" upon an unborn baby ;)  Lol - whatever, I've been eating great, I will NOT "revert" back to eating meat, my child will be raised vegetarian, and that's that.

This is a recipe I've made many times, and it can be subtly adjusted in many different ways every time....last night's was actually my best yet, and I think it's because I made it in a long pan (8x12...or 14??) instead of a square pan as I usually do, where it usually turns out a bit too "saucy" for me.

SAUCE - feel free to buy pre-made...I always make my own.  Feel free to adjust the measurements here to suit YOUR tastes...my measurements are inexact.

1 large can regular tomato sauce or Italian flavoured
1 large can regular diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced small
2-4 cloves minced garlic, to your tastes
diced mushrooms (optional)
1 cup rehydrated texturized veg protein (TVP) or veggie ground round  (Also optional...just if you want a bit more protein)
.5 cup red wine
splash balsamic vinegar
oregano, basil, salt to taste
approx 1 tsp sugar

Sautee onions and garlic for a few minutes in olive oil, add TVP or ground round at this point if you're using.  Then, throw in everything else and simmer for at least a half an hour, tasting until it's "right".

Filling

1-2 packages frozen spinach, thawed or one large package fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 large-ish container ricotta cheese (not the small one)
mozzarella cheese
lasagna noodles
parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles.  If you're using fresh spinach, sautee it in a pan for a few minutes with a few drops of water until it's wilted. Drain water. Drain water from thawed frozen spinach, if using.  Mix spinach and ricotta together in a bowl.

Assembly

Spoon a bit of the sauce over the bottom of your pan to keep the noodles from sticking and ensure sauce saturation.  Put in a layer of noodles (I use bits of cooked noodle to make sure the layer is complete as the noodles aren't quite long enough to cover the bottom), then cover that layer with sauce.  Cover that sauce layer with half the spinach & ricotta mixture as evenly as possible.  Grate a fine layer of parmesan over the spinach/ricotta layer, then cover that with just over 1/3 of the grated mozzarella.  Repeat those layers: noodles, sauce, spinach/ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella.  Finish with noodles (three layers total), the remaining bits of sauce and some mozzarella.

Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes covered with tin foil, then remove tinfoil and continue to bake, uncovered for another 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before slicing. 

Sorry for the crappy picture - I already ate an entire piece before I remembered to take a picture, so my plate is kinda messy ;)