make-ahead meal

After meeting some new friends this past weekend, Stefan spontaneously invited them over for dinner on Monday night.  While I'm always game to cook for company, Mondays are tricky.  With all the catching up, getting back into the swing of things, etc all day Monday, embarking on a home-cooked meal that evening seems daunting.  So, I decided to plan ahead and spend only Sunday being domestic.

Per usual, Stefan inquired as to our guests' dietary restrictions.  Two of three were vegetarians so I decided upon a veggie lasagna: non-meat-eater friendly AND easy to make ahead. 

After researching the internet's vast offering of choices (from The Pioneer Woman's version to every variety of "Three Cheese" you can imagine), I opted for Ina's tried and true favorite: simple, but delicious mushroom with Parmesan).  It helped that Smitten Kitchen had also done a test run and declared it "ridiculous, so good that although I’d planned to pack up the second half to store in the freezer of a family member on the mend, I fear it won’t make it."

The ingredients are all simple, and ones you may even have at home. 

Salt
Olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 large clove garlic, minced (this was a Smitten Kitchen addition but well worth it!)4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used less, because this seemed like a lot)
1 1/2 pounds cremini or portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

First things first: the noodles.
Pop them in some boiling water with salt & olive oil and cook for 10 minutes.  Rinse and set aside.

Then onto the fun stuff: the bechamel sauce. 
(The other thing I love about this lasagna is that it's a non-tomato-based variety - perfect for those non-red-sauce lovers in your family.)  Stick the milk + minced garlic in the microwave and cook until hot.  Meanwhile melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon over low heat for 1 minute.  Then, add the milk while stirring with the spoon.  Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg, turn up to medium-low heat, and then WHISK until deliciously creamy.  (3-5 minutes)

Now time for your fungi.
Saute them with olive oil, salt & pepper, and the rest of the butter until beautifully brown.  (I just used creminis but next time I'd opt for some more exotic varieties to spice it up.)

Finally time to assemble.
In a pan size of your choosing (Ina suggests 8 x 12), spread the sauce along the bottom.  Then add some noodles, some more sauce, some mushrooms, and some Parmesan.

Then it's time to do it all again - noodles, sauce, mushrooms, cheese - finally finishing it off with a layer of cheese, noodles, and sauce on top.

 
I made mine ahead of time and stuck in the fridge until the next evening, but you can also bake on the spot at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes (or until the top is browned and the bechamel is bubbly.)

The result:

Cheesy, gooey delicious goodness combined with savory, melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms.  Ina: you did good.

The only hiccup was learning that one of our three guests didn't eat mushrooms.  We stuck a frozen pizza in the oven and called it a night.

xoxo
KK