Veggie Lasagna

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• Mushroom Tapenade (See Recipe)

• Whipped Ricotta (See Recipe)

• 2 packages of won ton wrappers

• 2 bunches Fresh Basil

• A handful of Fresh Parsley

• Pine Nuts

• Olive Oil

• Lemon Juice and Zest to taste

• Salt and Pepper

• 1/4 c. Parmesan, grated

• 2 c milk

• 3 T butter

• a pinch of nutmeg

• 16 oz mozzarella, shredded

Make the Mushroom Tapenade and Whipped Ricotta and set aside.

Make the pesto. In a food processor, combine fresh basil, parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of lemon zest, 2 large pinches of pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. As you run the food processor, add olive oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Taste. Add salt and pepper. Make any adjustments. Remember to taste as you go. Set aside.

Make the Bechamel. In a sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat and let cook. When butter becomes an amber color, add 2 heaping tablespoons of flour and whisk. Whisk well so that you remove any lumps. This mixture, a roux, will clump up. Let it cook until it turns a little more amber. Add a splash of milk and whisk together. Add all of the milk, gradually while constantly stirring. Continue to cook on medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of nutmeg and pepper.

Assemble the lasagna. Prepare a baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Open up the wontons and use those as your pasta. This might be a little unexpected, but I like wontons better than lasagna noodles - more information below. Once you've created a layer, layer the mushroom, whipped ricotta and pesto. Top with the bechamel and mozzarella. Repeat until you reach the top of the pan. End with a layer of the bechamel and mozzarella. Add any leftover parmesan.

Bake for 40-50 minutes at 375 F or until top gets brown and toasty. Let sit for a minute before serving.

The Recipe

The story....

I have a few friends that eat vegetarian and I am always looking for ways to make dishes that go beyond the portabella mushroom burger, cauliflower steaks, or stuffed peppers.

This lasagna came about when we decided that combining the mushroom and ricotta dips from our friend's birthday dinner would be absolutely delicious. We weren't wrong. It is hearty and satisfying. Perfect for a rainy or cold day when you're looking for a meal that sticks to your bones. There were hardly any leftovers for a Sunday Dinner for 6 people. I would absolutely make this again. And using the food processor saves a lot of time.

A word about the noodles. I think everyone has an opinion or a nonna somewhere who has an opinion about how to assemble a lasagna. The wonton wrappers came from my mom and I'm a fan. It's easy to create very thin layers, you're not dealing with partially cooked hot lasagna noodles, and they are easy to cut and shape to the pan. You can, of course, use whatever noodles you like, but this has been an easy and helpful tip to assemble something that has a lot of moving parts.

Pair this with a light red wine and enjoy.