Lasagna

i know what most of you are thinking...
lasagna?

dairy free?

really? i bet that tastes nasty.

WRONG!
it is dairy free but it tastes wonderful and this is coming from a women with a pretty sophisticated palette who happens to also love lasagna. this was a no-no in our house for a long time. i never bought it, made it or really even had it in the house. wasn't fair to the hubby. i would just order it at restaurants and try to get my lasagna fix in when i could.
one day i was craving some lasagna and i knew that we weren't going to venture out with the two kids for dinner at a nice italian restaurant. so, i decided it was time. he had some parmesan & some mozzarella chese in the fridge and i had picked up some no-cook lasagna noodles the last time i had been to trader joes. i was motivated to create a delicious dairy free lasagna. it took some time and a little bit of trial but i think i accomplished it!
i wish i had a picture of it because it actually looked really pretty (if you can call lasagna pretty) but we ate it too fast to capture a shot. next time i make it i will be sure to take a picture and post it.
here is the recipe. i hope you try it. does take a little time but i think it is worth it!
all of the items in the recipe i bought at kroger.

no cook lasagna noodles
1 bag of dairy free shredded mozzarella flavored cheese
non dairy parmesan cheese
baby spinach leaves
flat leaf parsley

tomato sauce-
1 lb ground beef
2 Italian Mild sausage links (casing taken off)
1 onion, chopped
10 bella mushrooms chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of stewed tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

bechamel Sauce-
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup of original rice milk (heated)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper
a pinch of ground nutmeg

saute beef, sausage, onions, mushrooms & garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. add tomatoes (with juice from can) and let simmer. salt and pepper to taste.
in a separate pot, melt butter and add flour until they are nicely combined. slowly add heated rice milk to the mixture. wisk until nicely combined and slightly thickened. add salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg to taste.
place a layer of lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking dish then spoon over a layer of tomato sauce, spread thin layer of uncooked fresh spinach and then a layer of bechamel. sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. repeat two more times to make a total of three layers. sprinkle the top with some fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and then bake in a 350 degree oven for about one hour.
ENJOY!