~A Recipe To Share

~8-Layer Lasagna~

Good morning...I wanted to share this wonderful recipe for Lasagna that Jenna & I made this weekend..oh my goodness, it was delicious. She was in charge of the making the béchamel sauce & I made the meat sauce..then we combined our efforts. We cooked & laughed & enjoyed a glass of wine. Mom & dad came for dinner, Kurt showed us his slide show from his trip to Mt. Washington and the eight of us enjoyed such a lovely evening :)

I've been making lasagna for years but have never used this recipe before...it will definitely be the recipe I use from now on........It's from Cuisine At Home. I just LOVE this magazine! I have a binder full of issues..years and years worth actually..they come binder ready..anyway..this binder was my dad's and I just recently started browsing through it for recipes and each one I've tried has been fantastic...their chicken & dumplings recipe is...OH MY...excellent! The only thing we did differently was...instead of the boursin cheese ..which is priceyyyy...we used ricotta..everything else we followed to the letter :) Enjoy!

8 Layer Lasagna
For the Meat Sauce —
Brown:
1 1/2 lb. ground chuck
1 1/2 lb. ground mild Italian sausage

Add:
2 cups yellow onion, diced
2 T. garlic, minced
2 T. tomato paste
2 t. each dried basil, thyme, and oregano
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf

Stir in; Simmer:
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes in puree
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup beef broth or water
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Béchamel —
Saute in 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter:
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1/8 t. cayenne
Pinch nutmeg

Stir in:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Gradually Add:
3 cups whole milk
10 oz. Boursin cheese (or Alouette)
Salt to taste

Whisk in:
8 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 egg, beaten

To Assemble —
Prepare:
1 lb. oven-ready lasagna sheets, parboiled
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
6 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400° with rack in the center.

Brown the meats in a large saute pan over medium-high heat; spoon off as much of the fat as possible.

Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings. Saute until onion softens, about 8 minutes.

Stir in both types of tomatoes, broth, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes; set aside.

Saute onion for the béchamel in melted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cayenne, and nutmeg; cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent scorching.

Stir in flour to coat; cook 2 minutes.

Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add Boursin in small pieces and whisk until smooth; season with salt. Set aside 1 cup béchamel for the top of the lasagna. Cool remaining sauce for 10 minutes.

Whisk in frozen spinach and egg.

Prepare lasagna sheets; have both cheeses ready. Assemble lasagna, layering béchamel, pasta, béchamel, meat sauce, and then the cheese. Repeat until all pasta is used. Bake uncovered for 40 - 45 minutes, or until bubbly and top is golden. Allow lasagna to rest 20 - 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

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Have a wonderful day :)Doreen