February 3, 2019–Leave it to Ina Garten to take simple ingredients and make an amazing dish. The first time I made this dish was probably in 2006. YMDT and I were watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa. We both thought, “Hmm, that looks interesting,” especially when she added the nutmeg. I’ve easily made this dish over a dozen times. Every time someone new tries it they immediately want the recipe. Make sure you read all the directions before starting because you have to do multiple things at the same time in order for the dish to come together. The ingredients should be in your pantry:
- Kosher salt
- Good olive oil
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 4 cups whole milk
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg; I cheated with the bottle stuff this time 🙂
- 1 1/2 pounds Portobello mushrooms (about 18 large sliced mushrooms) (see comments in directions)
- 1 cup freshly ground Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Boil a large pot of water with enough salt so that it taste like the ocean. How does the ocean taste? Umm, I’m sure I’m not the only one that has accidentally taken in a mouth full of water while swimming?!?! Add the lasagna noodles (store bought, home made, or skip this step entirely if you’re using no cook noodles) and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
For the white sauce, bring the WHOLE milk to a simmer in a saucepan. I’ve tried using lower fat milk and it just doesn’t thicken up as well. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for about a minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, until thick. Set aside off the heat.
The first time I made this I used the large portobello mushrooms. They required too much prep work so I have since switched to the pre-sliced baby bellas. On occasion, I’ve also added other types of mushrooms into the mix. If using un-prepared mushrooms you will need to separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems or use them in a soup/broth, or even in this dish. Slice the caps to a size that you prefer. The original recipe says 1/4-inch thick, but this was too thick for my liking which is another reason I went with the pre-cut baby bellas. Once the mushrooms are prepped, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.
To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the white sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.
Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/2 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.
Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake the lasagna until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot with some freshly grate Parmesan cheese and basil chiffonade .
