Email to Cat      

Creamy Mushroom Lasagna

Source of Recipe

From "The Home Cook" by Alex Guarnaschelli


Recipe Introduction

"Mushrooms and Marsala come together so nicely with cream and cheese that meat and tomatoes are not even missed in this vegetarian dish. I love using portobellos for their deep earthy notes and cremini and white button for their clean flavor and great texture."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 10 medium cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ Kosher salt
â—¦ 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with string
â—¦ 6 medium portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
â—¦ 8 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced (1 cup)
â—¦ 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (1 cup)
â—¦ Freshly ground white pepper
â—¦ 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 pound dried lasagna sheets, preferably De Cecco brand
â—¦ 1 cup dry Marsala
â—¦ 2 cups heavy cream
â—¦ 8 ounces (1 cup) mascarpone cheese
â—¦ 1 cup fresh basil leaves
â—¦ Grated zest of ½ lemon
â—¦ 1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
â—¦ 8 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
â—¦ 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese



Recipe

Heat two large skillets over medium heat. Add half of the olive oil and garlic, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt to each. Cook until the garlic is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add half of the thyme and mushrooms to each. Season each with an additional 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Stir in half the flour to each skillet and cook until the mushrooms are tender and a lot of the liquid has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Set the mushrooms aside, in one of the skillets.

Bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat and season with ½ cup salt. The pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the lasagna sheets, stirring with a slotted spoon to make sure they do not clump or stick to the bottom, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain again. The pasta should still be very firm to the touch. Separate the sheets carefully so they don't stick together.

Add the Marsala to the mushrooms, return the skillet to medium heat, and cook until the flavor of the alcohol has mellowed considerably and the liquid reduces to a couple of tablespoons, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer gently over medium heat until it coats the mushrooms, 5 to 8 minutes. Then stir in the mascarpone, basil, and lemon zest. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Spoon a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom of a 13-inch baking pan. Arrange a layer of pasta sheets over the sauce. Layer one-fourth of the mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses over the pasta, and top with another thin layer of sauce. Repeat the layering process two more times. Add the final layer of pasta and top it with the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 450° F and remove the foil. Bake until the top browns slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes or so before serving.

Serves 8 to 10