Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

This recipe is from “Barefoot Contessa at Home” by Ina Garten. My best friend gave me this book as a Christmas gift and it is a beautiful book. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes are quintessentially Ina Garten. They are filled with butter and cheese and east coast style. My only complaint is that the recipes scream “summer”. I read the cookbook from cover to cover and then cooked nothing from it. The snow has now melted, the tulips are coming up and I’m now excited to try some recipes from this cookbook. This is the first recipe I’ve tried and it is beautiful. This is a French twist on lasagna. It is elegant and bursting with rich flavour. So lovely.

• Kosher Salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
• 4 cups whole milk
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tbsp salt and splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
2. For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 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, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.
3. Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, 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 mushroom cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.
4. To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of a 8x12x2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then one-third of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Repeat two more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and cheese. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. 
5. Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.