Lifeskills: what I failed to learn at Princeton

Proportions are Growing

Several weeks ago I made "Spinach and Mushroom Veggie Lasagna" (see recipe below)...and just recently finished it. Seriously, it was like the magic porridge pot, and-as delicious as it was-I thought that this lasagna was never going away. Lessons learned: try cutting a recipe in half (leftovers are always great, but there is such a thing as too much); place container over a cookie tray or some other larger container when cooking in the oven (some of the tomato sauce overflowed while I was cooking and made some SERIOUS smoke-I was actually afraid that I was going to burn the apartment building down); and do not try bringing lasagna leftovers to work for lunch in your purse (I thought I had placed it in spill proof container, and turns out I was wrong. Fortunately, the spill could have been MUCH worse).

INGREDIENTS:

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 and 1/2 lbs. cremini and/or shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I was not paying attention and grabbed only one plastic container of shiitake mushrooms. Needless to say it was not nearly enough and would recommend three-four cartons to eyeball the weight).

-1 tsp dried thyme

-kosher salt

-1 15-ounce container of part-skim ricotta

-3/4 cup skim milk

-2 eggs, lightly beaten

-3 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided evenly

-3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

-1 ten-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

-1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more to garnish

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-freshly ground black pepper

-5 cups tomato sauce

-12 sheets no-cook lasagna noodles

-nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and thyme and season with salt. Cook until softened, about ten to 12 minutes

3. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, milk, and eggs and stir. Add 1 cup of mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, basil and oregano; season with salt and pepper and stir to incorporate

4. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan. Layer 4 sheets of lasagna on top, slightly overlapping. Spread half the ricotta mixture on the noodles, and cover with half the mushroom mixture. Top with 1 and 1/2 cups tomato sauce. Repeat with 4 sheets of lasagna pasta, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining mushrooms, and 1 and 1/2 cups of tomato sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese.

5. Lightly coat a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick spray and cover the uncooked lasagna, spray-side down. Bake at 375 degrees, covered, until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Remove foil from lasagna and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Cook until cheese browns, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm and garnish with basil.