Lazy Florentine Lasagna
Serves 4-6
Go green with this vegetarian-friendly lazy lasagna with spinach and white wine sauce.
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound wavy edge lasagna noodles, regular or whole wheat, broken into irregular pieces
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- Pepper
- 1 bundle green or red Swiss chard, Tuscan kale or 1 pound spinach leaves, stemmed, leaves halved lengthwise then thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine or chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 slightly rounded tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 cup fontina cheese, grated
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
- Boil the water and salt it, then cook the pasta to 2 minutes just-shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining.
- Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and brown well, then add the onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook to soften the onions, then wilt in the greens, deglaze the pan with the wine or stock and reduce the heat to low.
- While the mushrooms cook, in a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk. Bring to a bubble and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Let thicken, then season with nutmeg, to taste.
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the mushrooms and greens and a little of the reserved starchy cooking water. Transfer to a baking dish or casserole, then pour the white sauce over top and cover with cheese. Bake until bubbly and brown, 20 minutes or so.
Cooking with alcohol enhances the flavors of certain dishes. Some of the alcohol burns off in the process of cooking. If you are concerned about using alcohol when you cook, you may use the appropriate substitute listed in the ingredients.