White Lasagna

White Lasagna

 

 

When I teach folks how to make white lasagna, it is always surprising to them that you can create a terrific crowd pleaser using two sauces.  This is one of my staples for my daughter's family because they are vegetarians.  I will include both the vegetarian recipe and the meat recipe.

 

 

White Lasagna

 

Fresh pasta sheets undercooked by a couple of minutes (I don't like the boxed ones)

2 cups of béchamel sauce

2 cups of mornay sauce

6 to 8 eggs

32 ounces of ricotta cheese

1 cup of parmigiano reggiano

1 cup of peccarino romano

6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

salt and pepper to taste

Shredded mozzarella

 

Cook the pasta sheets for just a couple of minutes in salted boiling water.  Cool in a colander.

 

In a large mixing bowl, put in the ricotta.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.  Add the parmigiano reggiano and peccarino romano.  Add a little salt and pepper (taste).  Add the garlic.  Refrigerate while you make the sauces. 

 

At this point, preheat the oven to 350F. 

 

Bechamel Sauce

 

2 tbl. of butter

1 tbl. of flour

2 cups of heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

 

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and add flour to make a roux.  Add cream.  Add salt and pepper.  Allow the sauce to thicken and take it off heat.  Let it cool down.

 

Mornay Sauce

 

2 tbl. of butter

1 tbl. of flour

2 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of gruyere cheese

A little dry white wine

 

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and add flour to make a roux.  Add cream.  Stirring constantly, add cheese and wine.  Allow the sauce to thicken and take it off heat.

 

Assembly

 

Put a layer of pasta sheets in a rectangular baking dish.  Add 1/3 of ricotta mixture.  Cover with 1/3 of Bechamel Sauce.  Repeat this twice more.  Cover with the Mornay Sauce.  Top with shredded mozzarella.

 

Bake for approximately one half hour until the lasagna is golden brown.

 

To make the meat lasagna, cook the pasta sheets in chicken broth.  Make a filling with Italian Sausage by cooking the Italian sausage over low heat and adding fresh mushrooms and one cut onion and six cloves of garlic.  Put the meat filling in the middle of the lasagna and otherwise, finish the lasagna as previously described .  Bake the same way.