Preheat the oven to 375°. Cook Italian sausage until there is no more pink, set aside and preserve any leftover grease in the pan.

Add the diced onions and chopped mushrooms to the pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil or butter (if there is not enough grease from sausage) to sauté the vegetables. Sauté them until soft and translucent, for about 5 minutes.

Drain the excess grease off of the veggies by placing them on a paper towel lined plate. Wipe any excess grease out of the pan as well (using paper towels- be careful it’s hot)!

Return meat and veggies to the pan, and add the homemade marinara sauce. Add the seasonings and mix well (reserve the one tablespoon of Italian seasoning to sprinkle over the top). Heat until it’s simmering, and then turn it off.

In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese and egg. Mix it together well and set aside.

Spray non-stick cooking spray in a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon about one cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish and spread out to one even layer.

Place oven ready lasagna noodles in one even layer, careful not to overlap. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the cottage cheese mixture over the dry noodles, and spread it out as evenly as possible.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the dish. Next add another layer of the marinara sauce, about a cup, and spread it out evenly.

Continue with steps 7 & 8 until at least three to four layers are made. Try not to layer above the baking dish or it will spill over in the oven.

On the last layer, only add the meat sauce and the shredded cheese, then sprinkle the reserved Italian seasoning over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-7 minutes to allow the top to brown.

Remove lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.