Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Mushroom Lasagna with Garlic Béchamel Sauce

I'm struggling with what to say about this lasagna.  You should just make it.  I made it for two families that just had babies, and for a dinner party.  It's fancy comfort food, and a pretty inexpensive dish.  Sooo flavorful as well, which was surprising because the ingredients are so simple and basic.


Serves 6 to 8

Salt
Olive oil
3/4 pound no boil lasagna noodles
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste (less is okay)
1 1/2 pounds cremini or portobello mushrooms ( I prefer cremini, but I'm new to mushrooms)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

1.  Béchamel: Simmer the milk and garlic in a saucepan, and set aside. Melt 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Pour in the hot milk, a little at a time at first and stirring until combined. Once you’ve added half of it, you can add the second half all at once, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring or whisking frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thick. Set aside, reserving one cup for top and bottom of dish.

2. Prepare mushrooms: Slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium in large sauté pan. Cook half the mushrooms with a couple pinches of salt for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and release some of their juices, tossing to make sure they cook evenly. Repeat with additional oil and butter, and remaining mushrooms.  Mix into Béchamel sauce.

3. Assemble lasagna: Spread some of the reserved sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 12 or 9 x 13 baking dish.  Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more mushroom sauce (about 1/4 of what remains), and 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Repeat two more times then top with a final layer of noodles, your remaining reserved sauce and last 1/4 cup of parmesan.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

2 comments:

  1. I tried an unsuccessful recipe, but liked the idea... I may just have to try again...

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  2. Hey, Kathleen! I hope you like it if you try it. I like to make it for company because it feeds a good amount and is fairly inexpensive, plus it looks so fancy and different than a regular lasagna. Oh, and it's mighty tasty.

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