SPRING WHITE SAUCE LASAGNA
Ingredients:
12 ounces (or 1-1/2 cups) butter, divided
5 green garlic stalks (or garlic cloves), minced
2-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup flour
4 cups warm whole milk (whole is preferred, but 2% will also work fine)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound lion’s mane mushrooms (or any other mushrooms), torn or roughly chopped
8 ounces fresh spinach
1 pound lasagna noodles
3 cups shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup finely shredded asiago
1/2 cup pesto, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Add green garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir constantly with a whisk for 1 minute. Pour in half the milk and stir until thickened, about a minute. Stir in the remaining milk, 1 teaspoon more Kosher salt, black pepper and whisk for another couple of minutes. Let the sauce simmer gently until thickened, stirring every couple of minutes to ensure the bottom is not scorching. The sauce should thicken in about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, prepare your veggie filling by melting remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until well-softened and browned a bit, about 10-15 minutes. Add greens and cook until wilted, about 10 minutes more.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and lasagna noodles. Cook according to package directions and drain.
Now that all your components are ready, assemble your lasagna! Gather everything on the counter along with a 9x13-inch pan or casserole dish.
Begin by ladling two spoonfuls of the white sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add 4 noodles in an even layer. Cover with half the mushroom greens mixture, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 more spoonfuls of the white sauce (about a cup). Add a layer of 4 more noodles followed by the pesto (if using) and the asiago. Add 4 more noodles, the remaining mushroom greens mixture, another cup of mozzarella and another 3 spoonfuls of sauce. Finish with the last 4 noodles, the remaining mozzarella and then finish with the remaining sauce.
Bake for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Prep tip: If you want to save some time, you can easily make the sauce, sauté the veggies, and boil the noodles all at the same time. It will save you about 30 minutes. You can also make the sautéed mushrooms and greens up to three days in advance if you’re doing some other batch cooking work.