Spicy Kale Lasagna

For dinner last night, I wanted to incorporate an ingredient I rarely use in the kitchen, and something that Eric may have never even tried before (I was right - he thought kale was arugula). After browsing through some saved recipes, I decided on spicy kale lasagna.
So I told Eric: I'm fixing a spicy kale lasagna for dinner. Keep an open mind!
He replied: That sounds delicious.
I said: You're such a champ.
He said: It's easy to be with your cooking.
Not that I ever doubted him for one second, but holy moly this one's a real KEEPER, folks. We're talkin' flattery to the max!

Seriously though, we both absolutely LOVED this dish. It's so so good. Eric wanted to eat like 3/4 of the pan, but I told him we needed leftovers so we could have it again tonight.
If you love kale, and you're looking for a little spicy zippiness in your life, make this dish and do a little dance!

Spicy Kale Lasagna 
(adapted from Annie's Eats)

1 bunch of kale, stems removed
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (14 oz) can organic diced tomatoes, (preferably with garlic, basil and oregano) drained
1 can/jar tomato sauce
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
About 2 cups button or portabello mushrooms (or both)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 16oz. container 2% cottage cheese (I use Daisy - no artificial ingredients!)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups shredded 2% mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ tsp. pepper
No-boil lasagna noodles (or noodles cooked according to package directions)

To prepare the kale, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the kale to the pot and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.  Wrap the kale inside a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much excess liquid as possible, or use a salad spinner.  Chop roughly, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

To make the tomato sauce, combine the oil, garlic, onion, pepper, mushrooms, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in a pan.   Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently.  After vegetables become softened,  mix in the tomatoes and sauce, reduce heat and let simmer 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

To make the cheese mixture, strain all of the liquid out of the cottage cheese.  (I used a fine mesh strainer and pressed down to remove the liquid.)  Mix in ½ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  To assemble the lasagna, add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Cover with a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese mixture, half of the kale, and half of the remaining sauce.  Add another layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining kale. Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with handful of Parmesan and mozzarella.

Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned.  Let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.