Vegetable Lasagna with a Bechamel Sauce

This recipe was created for my niece Nicole who is semi-vegetarian (she eats chicken and turkey).  She requested that I make it for her bridal shower and again most recently for her baby shower. I approached the request a little anxiously, remembering that when I  made it for her Bridal shower I did not write down the recipe and that I made it with vegetables that I had on hand.   I was flying blindly as I do often with cooking, but I accomplished and ended up pleasing her and the ladies. I was able to create a recipe this time and am sharing it here.  I hope you enjoy making it  and  including it in your memorable moments of life with your family and friends as I have in mine. Someday when I'm old I hope my niece will be making this for me.

Ingredients:

1-16oz Box Lasagna noodles
3 lb. container of Ricotta cheese
2 Eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 finely chopped Basil
1/4 finely chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
Salt and black pepper
1 cup Grated Romano Cheese
3 cloves of finely minced Garlic
1 cup steamed Baby Spinach
1 cup Fresh Baby Bella Mushrooms chopped
1 cup Artichoke Hearts (frozen or canned) chopped
1 medium sized onion or 1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce:

4 cups milk
4 Tbsp Butter
1/4 All purpose White Flour
Pinch of Nutmeg
Black or white pepper
Salt


Melt the butter in a saucepan, sprinkle in the flour, and add the milk while whisking until smooth. Add nutmeg and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens, ( it is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon).


Directions:

Make your Bechamel sauce first.

Cook lasagna noodles according to directions but not cooking the full time, remove while they are still al dente. Once you have strained the pasta, place the pasta back in the pot and fill the pot with COLD water to keep the pasta from sticking together while you assemble your lasagna.

In the mean time prepare your ricotta fillling. In a bowl combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup of grated cheese, eggs, parsley, basil, salt and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Steam your spinach, and cool.  Saute your garlic and onions in the olive oil until translucent, add your mushrooms cook for 3-4 minutes then add your artichoke hearts, season with salt and pepper and cook until everything has wilted down. Remove from heat and cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Now you are ready to assemble your Lasagna. Take a 9x12 dish and butter it. Ladle the Bechamel sauce in the bottom and arrange pasta noodles overlapping a slight bit. Dollop evenly 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of your vegetable mixture, 1/3 of your spinach and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese, a ladle of sauce and sprinkle of grated cheese. Continue layering, ending with the last layer which you will ladle sauce and sprinkle grated cheese on the top of. There is no exacts here as to how much you end up putting in each layer!!

Cover with foil and bake one hour, removing the foil the last 15-20 minutes so the top will brown a bit.  Let the lasagna rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving. I like to serve it with a drizzle of the Bechamel Sauce.

Buon Appetito!
Lucia