Recipe for Mushroom Lasagna-Meatless Monday

This should really be a "Meatless Sunday" or "Meatless Day Off" recipe, it took much longer than I had anticipated.  I don't know if it was just an off day for me or what but I can usually multi-task my way through most any recipe in no time.  This one took a while and felt very sequential.  Don't get me wrong, it is fabulous and well worth the work required but I'd hesitate to recommend it for a work night meal.



This was my first time using "no boil" lasagna noodles.  I thought they were fine, no real difference that I could tell from regular noodles. (These are softened quickly in boiling water which made trimming them to the oval shape of my dish much easier).  Have you tried them?

Yield: 6 servings
Time: 2 hours 15 minutes


Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP finely chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup fruity red wine (or whatever you have open or on hand)
• 2 TBSP butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low fat milk
• 9 no-boil lasagna noodles (may need more or less depending on shape, size of serving dish)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Cooking spray
• Optional: herbs for serving

Method:

• Pour 2 cups boiling water over the dried shiitake mushrooms and soak for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, pour mushrooms and liquid through a fine colander or strainer lined with paper towels that has been positioned over a bowl to catch the liquid.
• Squeeze all liquid out of mushrooms into bowl and reserved 1 1/2 cups of soaking liquid.
• Trim stems from mushrooms and discard stems.  Chop mushrooms.
• Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 cup chopped onions.
• Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add garlic, stir for 30 seconds and then add in the shiitakes and button mushrooms.
• Cook about 5 minutes until softening and releasing some fluid.
• Add in the wine and bring to a boil on high heat.
• Stir in reserved mushroom liquid, thyme and salt and pepper (to taste).
• Simmer/low boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in butter and taste again for salt and pepper and add if needed.
• While mushrooms are cooking, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put a saucepan of water on to boil.
• Add remaining onion to hot olive oil and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in flour and whisk for 3 minutes until smooth.  Do not brown.
• Add in milk and continue whisking until smooth and thickened.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, whisking often.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and stir sauce in to the cooked mushroom mixture.
• Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Spread a few TBSP of mushroom sauce over the bottom of casserole dish.
• Place 3 (or number needed for 1 layer) lasagna noodles in boiling water just until softened and pliable.
• Drain noodles briefly on paper towels and trim if needed to fit casserole dish.
• Place noodles over sauce in casserole dish and top with 1/3 of remaining mushroom sauce.
• Sprinkle 1/4 of cheese over sauce.
• Place 3 (or more) additional noodles in boiling water until softened.
• Drain and trim as above.
• Place noodles over first layer and top with same amount of mushroom sauce and cheese as first layer.
• Cook final layer of noodles, drain, trim, and place over 2nd layer.
• Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake additional 5-10 minutes until slightly browned.
• Cook for 10 minutes then cut into portions and serve, garnished with herbs if desired.

This is definitely a wonderful recipe and "fancy" enough for company.  After all that work, I sort of wished I had a few people to serve it to.  Mr. ELEB and I enjoyed it and as usual, he appreciated my efforts in the kitchen!


Printable recipe
Adapted slightly from NY Times recipe

In case you haven't decided on dessert for Thursday: Nantucket Cranberry Pie (Cake)