« Recipe: Mushroom Lasagna »

Mushroom Lasagna

Adapted from Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

Yield: 9 x 13 pan

Ingredients

2 lbs of mixed mushroom

1 medium onion, chopped

olive oil

2 pounds no-cook lasagna noodles

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter

1/2 c flour

4 c whole milk, heated (do not boil)*

salt

approximately 1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Clean the mushrooms with a brush and trim stems. Cut into bite-size pieces.

Heat approximately 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms, spreading them out in one layer. Let the mushrooms cook on medium high heat without stirring. When the mushrooms start to brown, shake the pan around (to avoid sticking and to brown mushrooms on other side).  Cook the mushrooms until they are deeply brown and almost crispy. When completely browned, transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat another Tbsp of olive oil in the same pan. Add the chopped onions, season with salt and cook until softened. When onions are fully cooked, add them to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. (If there are any brown bits left in the pan, be sure to scrape them into the mixture as well.)

To make the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Continue to cook the mixture over medium high heat until it turns a light, golden sandy color, about 5 minutes. 

Gradually add the warm milk to the butter-flour mixture, one cup at a time, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Bring it to a boil. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for  approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and fresh nutmeg.

To assemble: Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of bechamel sauce. Place a layer of pasta sheets on top of the bechamel. Ladle more bechemel on top and then place 1/3 of the mushroom mixture and 1/4 c parmesan cheese. 

Repeat this step two more times, finishing with a layer of pasta, beschamel and grated cheese.

Place in a preheat oven and let cook until the pasta is cooked through, and the top is brown and bubbling. approximately 45 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking after 35 minutes.

Let lasagna rest for approximately 20 minutes before serving.

*Elizabeth recommends 4 cups of milk when using fresh lasagna sheets; 5 cups when using no-boil sheets. Adding the additional cup of milk makes the sauce a bit thinner, but the added liquid is quickly absorbed by the dry lasagna noodles.