Lighter Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

• 9 dried lasagna noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and very well drained
• 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta
• 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 24-ounce jar your favorite meatless pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot or Dutch oven of salted water to a boil, then cook the lasagna noodles until they are al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain them, then run them under cold water.
2. Warm the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and mushrooms until tender, then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more, just until it smells good. Add the roasted red peppers and cook until warmed through. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.
3. Heat the oven to 375ºF.
4. Press the extra moisture from the spinach, then blot it dry with paper towels. Put it in a mixing bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg whites, basil, oregano, and black pepper, and stir until everything is combined. Add the mushroom mixture and stir again.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles lengthwise in the dish, side by side. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then add a layer of a little less than 1 cup pasta sauce. Repeat with 3 more noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, a little less than 1 cup pasta sauce, and the last 3 noodles. Cover the top with the remaining pasta sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
6. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Pull the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes so the layers can settle, then serve.