DAIRY • PREP: 1.5 hours• COOKING TIME: 1 hour•  SERVES: 10

It’s LASAGNA time!

I know what you are thinking. “Lasagna? I don’t have tiiiiiime for Lasagna”. I also don’t have time for lasagna, no one does,  and this one’s a pain in the you-know-what. That said, just make it. One time. That’s all I’m asking. Take a Sunday, and make the darned lasagna.  And when people ask you what you did all day, stand tall and tell them you made lasagna. With béchamel. Because Rivka said so. AND IT WAS WORTH IT.

This is a béchamel based lasagna, which means it uses a creamy, thickened milk-based sauce instead of the standard tomato-based. The béchamel recipe included here is based on a recipe from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen (one of my favorite food blogs, follow her), specifically this one, and she bases it on Ina Garten’s original béchamel which you can find here. I’ve adjusted the amount of nutmeg in this version, but it is otherwise consistent with the original.

Let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box lasagna, cooked and drained per package instructions (do not use bake-in-the oven type pasta). You will need 12 cooked noodles.
• 3/4 C. butter, divided
• 1.5 lb bag frozen spinach or 2 9oz bags of fresh baby spinach
• 2 large onions or one Spanish onion, diced
• 12 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• ½ C. + 2 tbsp. flour
• 4 c. regular or lowfat millk
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2+ tsp. salt, divided
• 1+ tsp. pepper, divided
• 1 lb. farmer cheese
• 1 egg
• 2.5  c. shredded cheddar cheese or shredded cheddar cheese blend

INSTRUCTIONS:

Spinach Filling:

1. If using frozen spinach, cook spinach in water according to package directions.
2. Line a colander with a paper towel. Pour cooked spinach into the colander on top of the paper towel.
3. Fold the edges of the paper towel over the top of the cooked spinach. Press on the spinach to force the remaining water out. Continue pressing until no water drips from the colander.
4. Heat a large (12”+) skillet on medium heat.
5. Add 2 tbsp. butter, allow to melt.
6. Add onion and sauté until cooked through but not browned, approximately 7-9 minutes.
7. Add strained cooked spinach, or fresh spinach, and sauté until fresh spinach is wilted or cooked spinach is heated through.
8. Add 2 tbsp. flour. Mix well. Cook for an additional minute.
9. Add ½ c. milk, ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper. Mix well. Mixture will be thick.
10. Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.

1. Wipe out skillet.
2. Heat the skillet on medium heat.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. butter. Allow to melt.
4. Add sliced mushrooms. Saute, mixing constantly, until juices are released (approx. 4-5 minutes).
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Strain mushrooms into colander.
7. Set aside.

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix the farmer cheese, 3/4 c. Shredded Cheese, and 1 egg together.
2. Add ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper.
3. Set aside

1. In a 6 c. or larger saucepan, heat milk until almost boiled.
2. Turn off heat.
3. In a separate 6 c. or larger saucepan, melt ½ c. (8 tbsp.) butter over low heat.
4. Add ½ c. flour, and mix for one full minute.
5. Pour the hot milk into the butter and flour mixture in a steady stream, mixing the entire time. Mixture should begin to thicken to an even consistency.
6. Add 1 tsp. Salt and ½ tsp. nutmeg. Mix well, using a wooden spoon and/or whisk, for an additional 3- minutes. Bechamel should be creamy and somewhat thick.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spoon approximately 1.5 c. of béchamel into the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
3. Lay 3 lasagna noodles over the béchamel.
4. Pour all of the spinach filling (layer 1) over the lasagna noodles.
5. Sprinkle with 3/4 c. shredded cheese.
6. Lay 3 lasagna noodles over the spinach filling.
7. Pour all of the cheese filling (layer 2) over the noodles, and smooth to an even layer across the pan.
8. Lay 3 lasagna noodles over the cheese filling.
9. Pour all of the mushroom filling (layer 3) over the noodles.
10. Spoon approximately 1 cup of béchamel over the mushroom filling.
11. Lay 3 lasagna noodles over the mushroom filling.
12. Pour remaining béchamel and 1 c. shredded cheese (top layer) over the lasagna.
13. Tear a piece of aluminum foil to cover the lasagna pan.
14. Spray one side of the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
15. Cover the lasagna tightly with the aluminum foil, non-stick spray side down.
16. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, covered.
17. Remove from oven and let set for approximately 10 minutes before serving.