Make-Ahead Mushroom Lasagna Alfredo

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions (for 2 cups chopped)

2 cartons (8 ounces each) sliced fresh mushrooms (see note)

1 large egg

16 ounces part-skim cottage cheese

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning blend

1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic

½ cup sweet Marsala (see note)

1 jar (16 ounces) Alfredo-style pasta sauce

12 no-boil lasagna noodles (see note)

8 ounces (2 cups) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes

¼ cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 8-by-8-inch baking pans with nonstick oil spray. Set aside.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet. Peel and coarsely chop the onions, adding them to the pot as you chop. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to release their liquid and the onions are tender, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-size mixing bowl, stir together the egg, cottage cheese and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

When the mushrooms have released their liquid, stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the Marsala and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until almost all of it evaporates, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour about ¼ of the jar of Alfredo sauce into the bottom of the first baking pan, then another ¼ of the jar into the second pan. Rotate the pans so that the sauce coats the pan bottoms. Place two noodles side by side over the sauce in each pan.

When the Marsala has evaporated, remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon about ¼ of the mushroom-onion mixture over the noodles in the first pan. Repeat with the second pan. Sprinkle about ½ cup of the mozzarella over the mushrooms in each pan.

Place two more noodles side by side over the cheese in each pan. Spoon half the cottage-cheese mixture over the noodles in each pan, spreading to the edges of each pan. Spoon half the diced tomatoes and their juices evenly over the cottage cheese. Top this layer in each pan with two more noodles. Divide the remaining mushroom mixture on top of the noodles in each pan. Divide the remaining Alfredo sauce between the pans, pouring it over the mushrooms and using a rubber spatula to remove all of the sauce from the jar. Use the spatula to spread the sauce, covering the noodles completely. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the parmesan evenly over both pans.

Cover with nonstick aluminum foil and bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover and, if eating now, bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

If freezing, uncover the pan, cool to room temperature, recover with foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Or refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Defrost for 24 hours in the refrigerator, and allow the lasagna to stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Reheat, covered with the foil, at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to 375 degrees, cook for 5 minutes more, and serve.

Each lasagna serves six.

Cook's notes: We like the new baby-bella mushrooms, a cross between portabella and button mushrooms. Marsala is a fortified wine, and an inexpensive California bottle is fine. Leftover fortified wines will keep for several months. You can substitute sherry or Madeira.

For testing, we used Barilla no-boil noodles. The box contains 15, and the extra 3 noodles can be stored for future use.

Nutrition values per serving: 288 calories, 13 g fat (5 g saturated), 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 16 g protein, 46 mg cholesterol, 542 mg sodium.