If you’re looking for a real showstopper recipe then this is it. I don’t toot my own horn very often (save for this blog), but this time – wow. This lasagna was amazing. I cobbled together some of my favorite things – sauce mornay, cheese, amatraciana, fresh noodles, veggies and more to create a lasagna that was rich, velvety smooth and made us feel like we were eating dessert instead of dinner. Even the little sous chefs thought second helpings were a good idea.

So – how do you make this little gem? With lots of time, love and fresh ingredients. Sit back and read on as to how you to can make it seem like an Italian nonna visited your kitchen. Lucky for you, you’ll be able to take all the credit.

There’s a few different steps to this lasagna recipe, but it really doesn’t matter where you start first. I tend to start with the sauces, but if you want to start with the noodles be my guest – so long as everything is ready to assemble when you’re ready!

Recipe

• 1 lb of fresh lasagna noodles (see below)
  • 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill durum wheat semolina flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups Amatraciana sauce  – I usually double this to have leftovers for other recipes (see below)
  • 4 oz diced pancetta (prosciutto or guanciale will work too) cooked and crispy
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes
  • 2 shallots – diced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of Sauce Mornay (see below)
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 3 1/2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 3 oz grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella or italian blend
• 2 onions – carmelized until soft and brown
• 6 oz mushrooms – cooked through (you can add them in halfway through carmelizing the onions to save time)
• 1 bag of spinach (optional) cooked and drained

 

Once your sauces and veggies are cooked begin to prepare the lasagna. Preheat the oven to 350. Ladle a heaping spoonful(s) into the bottom of the pan and add some olive oil to help with sticking. Add in one sheet (or two if needed) of lasagna noodle so bottom is covered and begin to layer sauces. I find adding the sauce mornay is easier to spread when it’s directly on the lasagna sheet. Then add onions and mushroom mixture, spinach (if using), shredded cheese and a ladle of sauce. Repeat these steps until the lasagna is formulated, and sauces are gone (unless you doubled anything). Ladle a final helping of sauce across the top and cover with shredded cheese and fresh mozzarella slices. Cover with tinfoil (spray the bottom of the foil with pam to help prevent sticking) and bake for 60-80 minutes or until hot and bubbly. A knife should come out fairly clean if stuck in the middle – it won’t be perfect but the lasagna shouldn’t be messy or wobbly.

Let rest for 5 minutes and serve hot.

Bon Appetit!

Sauce Mornay – this is basically a bechamel sauce with a few ounces of cheese added at the end. Start the sauce by creating a roux – melt the butter in a deep sided pan – when butter is melted, stir in flour and whisk for two minutes. Do not let the flour brown or burn. Slowly incorporate the milk into the roux while whisking steadily to prevent lumps. Turn heat to medium high and simmer 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened – the consistency should be that of heavy cream. Add in parmesan cheese – stir to combine and then set aside.

Amatraciana Sauce – this is super easy to make and doubles nicely. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan with high sides, add all ingredients except the pancetta and salt. Simmer on low/medium for 20 minutes. Using a hand blender, blend sauce until smooth. Add cooked pancetta and 1 tsp of fat (discard the rest if there is any) and cook for 20 more minutes. Set aside.

Lasagna Noodles – I follow the recipe on the back of the bag which is pretty simple. I make it directly on the counter to save washing a bowl. Add the flour to the counter and make a well inside and add the eggs, water and oil. Slowly start stirring and incorporating the eggs and flour together until you have the makings of a dough ball. Once the ball forms, knead until smooth and elastic for 10 minutes. Wrap or cover the dough ball and let sit for 10-20 minutes. When ready, lightly flour your surface, cut dough into pieces (a piece or two for each layer is how I do it) and begin rolling out lasagna sheets. Make sure they are nice and thin – almost see through but not quite. Set aside.

Carmelized onions and mushrooms – dice up onions so they are mostly uniform (I’m terrible at this!). Add 2 tbsp of butter to the pan and melt. Add onions and cook on low for 45-55 minutes until soft and brown. To speed up the process you can cheat and add in a few pinches of sugar but do not turn up the heat. Burnt edges can make your savory carmelized onions bitter. Once onions are about 80% cooked, add in the mushrooms and cook until soft and the onions are fully carmelized. Set aside.