Béchamel & Sausage Lasagne

Making new friends or wanting to bless old ones? This red and white lasagne recipe is well worth the time and effort. Everyone always wants the recipe. Bellísimo. (I snagged this recipe from Seattle food blogger Janelle from Talk of Tomatoes.)

(photo credit: bon appetite, marcus nilsson)

ingredients

SAUCE (or use 2 jars of pre-made):

• 1 1/2 lbs mild or spicy Italian sausage

• olive oil as needed

• 1 1/3 cup chopped onions

• 1 T dried oregano (or Italian herb blend)

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 1 tsp coarse salt

• 1/2 tsp coarse pepper

• large pinch red pepper flakes

• 1 1/4 cup white wine
  1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree (Paradiso rocks)

• 5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

• ½ bunch fresh basil

• 1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (I use Muir Glen)

CHEESE 

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella

• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

BECHAMEL SAUCE

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 1 cup cream

• Pinch of: white pepper, thyme, nutmeg, basil

• 3 T butter

• 1/3 cup flour (can use a gluten-free flour mix)

• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

• 1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated

NOODLES

fresh lasagna noodles, uncooked (enough for 3 layers) (or boxed and/or gluten-free works well.)

BREADCRUMB TOPPING

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used breadcrumbs from rosemary artisan bread last time, and it was great!)

• 2 T Parmesan 1 tsp Italian herbs or parsley

directions 

1. Mix mozzarella and feta cheeses and set aside.

2. Cook sausage, set aside.

3. In same pan add olive oil (add oil to existing sausage fat until it looks like about 4 T); sauté onions, garlic & sauce seasonings. When onions are translucent, add wine and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir in 28 oz can of tomatoes, plus half the fire roasted tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes, then add spinach and sausage and stir thoroughly. Remove from heat.

4. Make bechamel. In a clean saucepan heat milk, cream and 'pinches of' in small saucepan until just simmers. While that is warming, get a clean sauté pan (medium low) and add butter, melt until foam subsides, add flour and whisk. Keep whisking for 2 minutes to cook, not burn flour. Slowly add hot cream mixture, whisking. Up heat to medium, whisking often, and cook another 5 minutes. It should be thicker than white sauce, similar to wallpaper paste. Add cheeses and whisk to smooth. Remove from heat.

5. Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan, and seasonings for topping.

6. Preheat oven to 400.

ASSEMBLE 

In bottom of 9x13 baking dish, layer ingredients:

• spread remaining 1/2 can fire roasted tomatoes

• layer of noodles

• 1/2 of the meat sauce

• approx 1 cup bechamel (When adding bechamel, glob it in diagonal increments, it will spread on its own.)

• 1/2 of the mozzarella/feta cheese mixture

• layer of noodles

• 1/2 of the meat sauce

• approx 1 cup bechamel

• 1/2 of the mozzarella/feta cheese mixture layer of noodles (press lightly on whole lasagna to spread bechamel out between layers)

• then paste the last bit of bechamel on top

• sprinkle bread crumb mix 

BAKE or FREEZE 

Cover with foil and bake in 400 oven for 1 hour, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. If coming straight from freezer add 20 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

yield

Serves 8-10 (Hot tip: Double the recipe and put them in (4) 8x8 pans to freeze for later.)