The New Zealand Herald

Spinach & mushroom lasagne

Serves 4

- – Kathy Paterson

350g spinach, fresh, stems removed 2 Tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

300g button mushrooms, wiped

clean and thickly sliced

400g tinned tomatoes, chopped

in juice

2 sprigs fresh oregano

1 bay leaf

1 pinch sugar

250g ricotta cheese

250g sour cream

1 egg

¼ cup parmesan cheese, freshly

grated, plus ¼ cup for sprinkling 1 packet dried lasagne pasta

1 Wash the spinach, allowing any remaining water to cling to the leaves. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the spinach. (Do this in two batches to prevent overcookin­g.) Cook for 1-1½ minutes until the spinach has wilted. Place in a sieve to drain further and set aside.

2 Add oil to the frying pan with the onions and cook over a low heat until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.

3 Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar. Continuing cooking, stirring occasional­ly until the sauce is thick. Remove oregano sprigs and bay leaf. 4 Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C. Grease a medium-sized ovenproof dish. 5 Place the ricotta, sour cream and egg in a bowl and mix well. Stir through ¼ cup parmesan.

6 Spoon half the ricotta mix in to the ovenproof dish. Add a layer of pasta, breaking it up to fit snugly. Spoon over half the mushroom mixture, then half of the wilted spinach. Repeat once more finishing with the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle over remaining parmesan and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until hot and golden.

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