And today I finally have ten minutes to talk to you about the mushroom lasagna I made on Sunday!
I already showed you a photo on the Facebook page right after lunch on Sunday, remember? I was so satisfied!
Yes, satisfied because at 11:30 I still hadn’t decided what to make for lunch, and less than an hour later, I already had the lasagna in the oven. 😊 If that’s not satisfaction, I don’t know what is!
Well, okay, I know some might turn up their noses because I didn’t make the lasagna pasta myself this time, or because I didn’t personally go into the woods to gather the mushrooms… 😅
But Sunday is now the only day of the week when I can afford to sleep an hour longer, provided there aren’t any kids’ sports commitments, scout outings, or backlog work to do… In those rare Sundays when we can afford to relax, we relax! And if we’re not eating out, Sunday lunch has to be quick to prepare given the time I end up starting it. In fact, when I opened the fridge last Sunday and assessed the situation, I had two options: use the package of lasagna or the puff pastry, as both needed to be used up as soon as possible.
The choice fell on the lasagna. What better for a Sunday lunch? (and in a few days I’ll also tell you what happened to the puff pastry!). And so, I also took the opportunity to free the freezer from a bag of mixed forest mushrooms that I never got around to cooking.
Aaargh!! I absolutely have to defrost the freezer! If I keep going like this, I’ll soon find the drawers stuck in ice! Defrosting the freezer is one of the tasks I hate most. But did you know that I’d rather iron than defrost the freezer?!
Okay. I’ll stop here. 🙂 As usual, I’ve digressed… 😀
But now… please help yourself, the mushroom lasagna is ready!
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👇 More lunch ideas, with or without mushrooms:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups egg lasagna (1 package)
- 1 lbs frozen mushrooms (mixed)
- 2 cups light béchamel
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- grated parmesan (1 tbsp for each layer)
- breadcrumbs
- extra virgin olive oil
- pepper
Tools
- 2 Baking Dishes small glass
Steps
Prepare the béchamel. The procedure for preparing my easy light béchamel is here.
I recommend leaving the béchamel soft. If you want to prepare it in advance and it becomes thick, you can add a little milk or water to soften it.
If you like your lasagna very “béchameled,” you can prepare a little more than half a liter and maybe reduce the amount of ricotta.
While preparing the béchamel, which is made in the microwave and does not require constant stirring, you can already start with the mushrooms.
Finely chop two cloves of garlic and sauté them in a non-stick pan with a little oil. Add the mushrooms while still frozen, stir and cook for about 15 minutes (or the time indicated on the package), initially covered then uncovered in the last few minutes to reduce the liquid formed, but without drying them too much.
At the end of cooking, add the chopped parsley and pepper to taste.
Now that mushrooms and béchamel are ready, you can assemble the lasagna.
The ones I used for this recipe are thin sheets, and each package contains 12 sheets, sufficient for 4 portions of 6 layers.
Here are the lasagna and mushrooms I used:
Mix half of the ricotta with the mushrooms and the other half with the béchamel, making it easier to distribute over each layer.
Start by spreading some béchamel on the bottom of the baking dish. Also, add a drizzle of oil.
Place the first sheet of pasta, distribute the béchamel, the mushroom and ricotta cream, and a sprinkle of parmesan over the pasta, then cover with the second sheet.
Continue until all ingredients are used up.
I didn’t put mushrooms on the last layer. After the ‘coloring’ experience of asparagus in the asparagus lasagna (remember?), I always cover the last layer with just béchamel and parmesan and sometimes, like here, with breadcrumbs.
Finally, moisten with a drizzle of oil (or with a few pats of butter).
Bake for 20 minutes or slightly longer at 392°F.
Before portioning and serving your excellent mushroom lasagna, let it rest for a few minutes. 🙂
Bon appétit!
Salt-Free Tips
Remember, I cook without salt. 😉 If you want to know more, read this article and join my group, where you can find a section dedicated to low-sodium cooking. 😉
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually reduce salt, your palate needs to adjust slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Sometimes break the rule. It’s good for your mood and helps perseverance.
If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes, salting according to your habits.
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On Facebook, on Instagram and Pinterest boards. Subscribe to my new WhatsApp channel! and in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Just what I was looking for! And to my Newsletter.
