Weeknight Lasagna

Some nights you want something special, but don't have time to make sauce from scratch.  Here's a yummy alternative using prepared sauce.  If your garden is in full swing, add sliced or julienned squash, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and onions.

48-64 oz. prepared spaghetti sauce (I used Hunt's Garlic and Herb)
2 large cans sliced mushrooms
prewashed baby spinach
2 pounds ground meat, browned and drained (I used 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound Jimmy Dean pork sausage)
1 jar alfredo sauce
12 oz. ricotta
1/4 t. garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. salt
1 t. salt (for boiling noodles)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons shaved parmesan
9 lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, fill deep pot with water and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, cook noodles until al dente.  While waiting for water to boil, brown meat then drain.  Mix together ricotta, garlic powder and parsley.  Prepare an 11x13 baking dish with cooking spray (I really prefer Watkins Cooking Spray).  Ladle about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce into baking dish and spread to cover.  Spread 3 cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce in the baking dish.  Spread half of meat on noodles, half of ricotta on meat, one can of mushrooms, half jar of alfredo sauce, a layer of spinach, and about one third remaining sauce.  Layer three noodles on top, the repeat previous layer.  Finish with a layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan (in that order).  Bake a 350 degrees for one hour.  Let stand for about 30 minutes before serving.

This makes a huge lasagna which contains eight generous portions.  Serve with salad, a baguette, and your favorite wine!  (It's even better the next day!)