wednesdaymenu-1-1 This post was originally scheduled for last week…or so I thought.  I apologize to those of you who came calling and found no entry or Mister Linky.  I thought I had set it to post automatically, t….apparently not.  Last week was incredibly busy and I did not check on  my blog for several days.  Anyway, I’m glad you are here this week.  Thanks for your patience.
I had been wanting to try out this recipe but since Hubby (only recently after almost 42 years of marriage) told me that he did not care for mushrooms, I knew I would have to try it out on/with someone else.  It became the main dish for a meal prepared for a friend after a brief hospital stay.  I think it’s a winner!

spinach mushroom lasagna2

Slow Cooker Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
Vegetable oil spray
8 curly-edged lasagna noodles (do not use no-boil) broken in half
salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
20 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped coarse
1 (15-ounce) jar alfredo sauce
1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup minced fresh basil
1 large egg
4 cups mozzarella
Line a slow cooker with an aluminum coil collar, then line with a foil sling* and coat with vegetable oil spray.  Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.  Add broken lasagna noodles and 1 Tablespoon salt.  Cook the noodles, stirring often, until al dente.  Drain then rinse under cold water until cool.  Spread out in a single layer over clean kitchen towels and let dry.  Do not use paper towels.  They will stick to the noodles.
Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add mushrooms, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover and cook until mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes.  Uncover and continue to cook until the mushrooms are dry and browned, 5 to 10 minutes longer.  Stir in spinach and alfredo sauce, scraping up any browned bits.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together.  Spread 1/2 cup mushroom-spinach sauce into prepared slow cooker.
Arrange 4 lasagna noodle pieces in the slow cooker (they may overlap), then dollop 9 rounded tablespoons of ricotta mixture over noodles.  Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella, then spoon 1 cup more mushroom-spinach sauce over the top.  Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and mushroom-spinach sauce twice more.
For the final layer, arrange remaining 4 noodles in slow cooker, then top with the remaining mushroom-spinach sauce and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.  Cover and cook until lasagna is heated through, about 4 hours on LOW.
Let lasagna cook for 20 minutes.  Using the sling, transfer the lasagna to a serving platter and serve.
*To make the sling: line the slow cooker insert with a foil collar.  Next, fit two large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil into the slow cooker, perpendicular to one another, with the extra hanging over the edges of the cooker insert.