Cheesy Mushroom Lasagna
While mushrooms are generally slotted on lists of “Spring Vegetables,” these days they are available year-round. And that’s a good thing. Because this ooey-gooey, cheesy lasagna recipe with the earthy flavors of mushrooms is now in my repertoire of regularly-rotated recipes.
In terms of nutrition, I find mushrooms to be pretty interesting: Until I did a story on them for Relish magazine a couple months ago, I didn’t realize the unassuming little nubs of spongy cellulose were actually packed with nutrients. By exposing mushrooms to sunlight or UV light can make them rich in vitamin D! (Only a handful of foods contain vitamin D: Fish, eggs, enriched milk and a few others.) Mushrooms are also the source of another nutrient found in very few foods: Selenium, which is helpful in immune function and preventing cell damage.
After reading all five of the delicious-sounding lasagna recipes in the March issue of Cooking Light, I was craving (spring-time!) mushroom lasagna…and found this earlier Cooking Light recipe. I didn’t have the recipe-called-for exotic mushrooms so I just substituted more button ‘shrooms and I added some truffle oil hiding in the back of my cupboard for the 'exotic' touch.
The result smelled and tasted amazing! And NEWS FLASH: It was the first time my kids have ever enjoyed mushrooms! What the kids call "little brown things" (mushrooms) meld beautifully into the rest of the ingredients to produce a rich delicious sauce…I covered them with more cheese and no-boil noodles. Talk about comfort food for these chilly spring days!
PrintCheesy Mushroom Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ¼ cups chopped onions
- 2 (8-ounce) packages button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided
- ⅓ cup (3 ounces) ⅓-less-fat cream cheese
- 1 (15 ounce) can 2% evaporated milk
- 1 cups 1% reduced-fat milk, divided
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon truffle oil
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- ½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onions to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned. Add thyme and 3 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove from heat; stir in cream cheese.
- Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add remaining 3 garlic cloves to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add ½ cup chicken broth, evaporated milk, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil. Combine remaining 1 cup milk and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to milk mixture, and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat and stir in truffle oil.
- 5. Spoon ½ cup sauce into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, and top with 3 noodles. Spread half of mushroom mixture over noodles. Repeat layers, ending with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden.
Do you have a go-to or favorite lasagna dish?
Hehe..So glad to hear that your kids finally opened up to "little brown things." I, too, was surprised when I heard that mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D! I love the addition of truffle oil...wish I had some hiding somewhere. This dish sure sounds hearty and satisfying! During the winter months, the husband and I really enjoyed creamy butternut squash lasagna.
Thanks so much Min! (:
I'm going to your Savor the Rainbow blog now to see if I can find that butternut lasagna. Sounds divine!
Your lasagna looks and sounds so delicious, thanks for this recipe!
Thanks Rosie! Love the name of your blog!...and your blog! (: