Mushroom Lasagna

I grew up somewhat of a lasagne purist, meaning it was difficult AF to introduce a vegetarian lasagne to my carnivore loving tastebuds. This. Lasagne. Is. Bomb. 💣 meat eaters, I promise you will not miss the meat in this rich, comforting, stick to your ribs deliciousness. This vegetarian dish requires time and patience but, I swear, it’s 👏🏾 worth 👏🏾 it 👏🏾.

Yield 1 13"x9" Dish

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

1 H & 45 M

Total time

2 Hour

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Mushroom Lasagne

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Ingredients

Mushroom Ragu

• 16 oz mushrooms, such as shiitake or crimini, stems removed, finely chopped
• 1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2 lb.), broken into florets
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
• ⅓ cup double-concentrated tomato paste
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup vegetable stock or water
• Juice of 1 lemon

Béchamel

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 5 cups whole milk
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Assembly

• 1¼ pounds dried lasagne noodles
• 8 oz grated mozzarella
• 2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
• Kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for greasing)

Instructions

Mushroom Ragu

1. Working in batches, roughly chop cauliflower until pieces are about the size of a grain of rice, transferring to a medium bowl as you go. Note: many stores sell cauliflower rice in the refrigerated produce section.
2. Next, heat 3 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes until golden brown on one side. Then cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the thyme sprigs. If the pan seems dry, add an additional 1 tablespoon of oil and add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, chile, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened and mixture is very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is slightly darkened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add cauliflower and cook, yes, still stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is cooked down and softened, about 6–8 minutes. Season with salt to taste and add parmesan, vegetable stock, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and sauce is glossy and comes together, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and add lemon juice. Reserve.

Béchamel

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking occasionally, until flour begins to smell a bit nutty, and darkens slightly in appearance, about 4 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and whisk in milk until homogeneous and smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until béchamel thickens, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally to maintain a smooth texture, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in Parmesan, cayenne, and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally and separating noodles so they do not stick to each other, and cook just before noodles are al dente, about 4 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and lie flat in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, separated by parchment.
2. Lightly oil a 13x9" glass or ceramic baking dish. Spread about 1 cup of mushroom ragù in the dish. Lay a single layer of noodles over ragù (you will need to cut some noodles in order to fill all gaps). Spoon about 1 cup of béchamel over noodles, spreading in an even layer with a rubber spatula. Top béchamel with a light sprinkle of both the mozzarella and parmesan and follow with 1½ cups ragù. Repeat, creating 5 layers of pasta (or 6, depending on how deep your pan is) and ending with remaining 1 cup béchamel. It should come right to the top edge of the dish, and the top layer of pasta will get super crunchy when baked.
3. Bake lasagne until bubbling around the edges, about 1 hour. If top is browning too quickly, cover dish with foil as it continues to cook. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F. Uncover and continue to bake until top is browned and crisp around the edges, about 10 minutes.
4. Let rest about 15 minutes before serving.

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