Spanish Lasagne

I found a packet of lasagne sheets a while ago and have been trying to think up ways to use them. Then we had a Rioja night which resulted in some leftover chorizo, and Spanish lasagne was born in my head. A quick Google showed me that I was not the first to think about putting chorizo in lasagna rather than minced beef, but instead of using the recipes I found, I went ahead and just made this up as I went, based on what was in the house at the time. Sometimes these kinds of recipes are the most fun!

Spanish Lasagne

Ingredients

1 spicy chorizo sausage, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup pitted black olives, sliced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
500g white mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
500g baby spinach
12 sheets of lasagne
250g mature cheddar, grated
grated parmesan to top
1 tsp sugar 
olive oil

Method

1. In a large pan over medium heat, add the chorizo. Let some fat render, then add the onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and olives and then cook over low to medium heat until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce - if it is very acidic, add a little sugar to sweeten it. Take off heat.

2. In another pan over medium to high heat, add a little olive oil and then the mushrooms and garlic. Saute the mushrooms until they begin to brown. Take off heat.

3. In another pan, steam the spinach until it wilts. Place it in a colander and press down to drain out as much water as possible.

4. Depending on the type of lasagne sheets you buy, you may need to cook them first. Check the packaging and follow those instructions.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C.

6. In a large baking pan, place a little bit of the tomato sauce and spread it into a thin layer to cover the bottom. Place one layer of lasagne sheets on top. Scatter about 1/3 of the mushrooms and spinach, then a little less than third of the tomato sauce. Scatter a handful of grated cheddar on top of that, then another layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat until you have placed a fourth layer of lasagne sheets in the pan. Top that with the remaining tomato sauce and another good handful of cheddar, then grate parmesan over the top to finish.

7. Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until bubbling hot and cheese on top is browned. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving - it will help it hold together when you cut into it. Serve slices with salad and garlic bread on the side.