Spinach and Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound hot Italian sausage
• 1 onions, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound chopped frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 16 ounce container ricotta
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, grated
• 16 ounces lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the sausage out of its casing and break it into small pieces. Set a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the sausage, and cook until the pink is gone, about 12 minutes.
2. Lift the sausage out of the pan and pour off the drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon behind. Return the pan to the burner, add the onions, and cook, stirring, until they start to take on color, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the carrot, celery, and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are just starting to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and mix everything together. Bring the sauce to a simmer, adding water if it needs loosening, and cook until the flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then take the pan off the heat and set the sauce aside until it is cool enough to handle.
4. Working with a little spinach at a time, squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Season the spinach with salt and pepper to taste, mixing thoroughly so the seasoning is evenly distributed.
5. Spoon 1 cup of sauce into the bottom of the pyrex dish. Add a layer of noodles over the sauce. Scatter a handful of drained spinach and a handful of grated mozzarella over the noodles, then dot with small spoonfuls of ricotta.
6. Continue layering the remaining sausage sauce, pasta, cheese and spinach, and pasta in the same pattern. Finish with sausage sauce on top, then cover it with grated mozzarella.
7. If you are using regular lasagna noodles, cover the dish with foil and bake until the cheese has melted. Take off the foil and keep baking until the top is bubbling and just starting to brown, about 20 minutes.
8. If you are using oven-ready lasagna, cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
9. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.