Another married first!!

So there are a lot of firsts in a marriage, or any relationship for that matter, and Aaron and I have had another first. For that matter, it wasn't just a first in our relationship, but for each of us individually. Now, it wasn't a major first, but it was a tasty first!! You might be thinking, "What the heck is she talking about?!?" Obviously, we made lasagna!! It was darn good lasagna too, and it's from http://www.eatingwell.com/, so it's not horrible for us. The recipe follows:

• 8 ounces (we used 9 noodles) lasagna noodles, whole wheat if you have them
• 1 pound spicy lean Italian turkey sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (the recipe calls for 4 cups mushrooms, but I don't like them, so we added some onions for flavor and texture instead)
• 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed
• 28 ounces canned, crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (we used 1 1/2 T dried Basil)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound, part-skim ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (we probably used closer to 16 oz...I love cheese!!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Cook noodles in boiling water until not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
3. Cook sausage in a large, nonstick skillet. Add onions, cook until tender and drain grease. Squeeze spinach (we strained it first, then squeezed - or is it squoze??) to remove excess water, then stir into the pan and remove from heat.
4. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
5. Assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles, top with half the sausage and spinach mixture, 1/3 of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, sausage, half remaining tomatoes and half remaining mozzarella. Finish off with a final layer of noodles and remaining tomatoes.
6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake bubbling - about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted, but not browned. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

It takes a while to prepare, but lasagna always does. And it's totally worth the wait!!