White Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

One of the many things I love about How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is how many variations there are for almost every recipe!  

Here is how I wound up making my delicious white lasagna with spinach and mushrooms:  I had half a box of pre-boiled lasagna noodles in the pantry and most of a container of ricotta cheese leftover from last week.  So I figured I could make half a lasagna recipe out of that, which would still be two meals for us.  I started by looking at the basic Vegetarian Lasagna recipe.  Then I was tempted by the "White Lasagna" variation so I headed over to the corresponding white sauce recipe, which is called "Bechamel Sauce, 11 ways" (eleven!!).  I remembered that I had some dried mushrooms so I decided to make the "Mushroom Sauce" variant of the Bechamel sauces.  I also thought it would be cool to add sauteed mushrooms to the lasagna filling so I looked up his method for that as well.  

Good grief!  Actually, I was still really motivated because all I would need to buy were spinach and mushrooms, and seeing as this was the Sunday before payday I was not looking to spend a lot anyway.  

I knew I wouldn't have much time Monday to cook so I assembled it Sunday night, while Joe made that night's dinner of refried beans and grilled peppers and onions for burritos.  There was a lot going on in the kitchen but it was really fun!  It was SO nice to just be able to bake the lasagna on Monday and not have to get the kitchen dirty again!  

This might look a little daunting, but it helped me to think of it as several small recipes rather than one big one.  So that's how I wrote it up here.  First I started with the components (the mushrooms and the sauce) and set them aside.  Then I just had to steam the spinach really quick, and I was pretty much ready to assemble (I cheated and used pre-boiled noodles, so that saved a lot of time as well).

Sauteed Mushrooms

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves 4

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or a mixture of oil and butter

About 1 pound mushrooms, preferably an assortment, trimmed and sliced

A big handful of dried porcini, or a mixture of dried mushrooms (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine or water

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Chopped parsley leaves for garnish (optional, I had parsley but forgot to use it)

To reconstitute the dried mushrooms, rinse under warm water for about a minute, then soak in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes.  Save this soaking liquid for the sauce later! (I confess, I accidently poured mine down the sink, but luckily I had some mushroom broth in the freezer that I could use instead)  Set aside 1-2 tablespoons worth of the reconstituted mushrooms and mince them.  Set these aside for the sauce as well.  

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When good and hot, add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until they are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the wine into the skillet.  Let it sizzle for about a minute, then lower the heat to medium-low.  Stir in the garlic and let that cook for about a minute.  Taste and add more salt/pepper if necessary.  Garnish with parsley, if using, and set aside.    

Mushroom Bechamel sauce

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Makes about 1 cup

2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

3/4 to 1 cup milk

1/2 to 3/4 cup mushroom soaking liquid

1-2 tablespoons minced reconstituted dried mushrooms

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the butter or oil.  When melted or hot, whisk in the flour.  Lower the heat and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns tan (for some reason, I kept picturing the color of the tan M&M, remember when they used to have that color?)

Continue to whisk constantly and stir in the milk/mushroom soaking liquid, a little at a time.  After about a cup has been incorporated, the sauce will still be pretty thick.  Keep adding liquid until it's a little thinner than you'd like it to be, stir in the minced mushrooms, then cook over low heat until it thickens back up again.

Season with salt and pepper.  I just set my sauce aside until I was ready to assemble the lasagna, but Bittman suggests that you keep it warm over a pot of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally.  He's probably right, but...eh.

White Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves 6-8

Salt

12 dried lasagna noodles (alternatively, you could use fresh pasta, or you could also use "no boil" lasagna noodles, which is what I used)

2 tablespoons softened butter or extra virgin olive oil

1 recipe Mushroom Bechamel sauce, see above

About 2 large bunches fresh spinach, washed and trimmed

1 recipe Sauteed Mushrooms, see above

3 cups ricotta, plus more as needed

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, plus more as needed

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Add a good pinch of salt.  If using fresh pasta, cut the sheets into noodles that will fit your lasagne dish (probably 3 x 13 inches).  Cook about half the noodles at a time, until they are tender but still underdone.  They will finish cooking in the oven.  Fresh pasta will take a minute or less, dried pasta will take a little longer.  Drain and lay the noodles out flat on a clean towel.  If you are like me and using the pre-boiled noodles, skip this step entirely!

While you are boiling the noodles, steam the spinach.  Put a couple inches of water into a put fitted with a steamer basket and bring it to a boil.  Once the steam is going add the spinach (in batches) and steam for one minute, setting the cooked spinach aside in a colindar.  Squeeze out any excess water (ring it out with your hands), then roughly chop.  Add to the sauteed mushrooms and gently mix both together with the ricotta.      

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  

Butter or lightly oil a rectangular baking dish.  Add a large spoonful of sauce and spread it around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of noodles, trimming to fit if needed.  Top with more sauce, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, and a good sprinkling of Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper between layers.  Repeat 2x (remember the order: noodles, sauce, spinach mixture, Parmesan, salt and pepper).  Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, ricotta, and Parmesan (the top should be covered with cheese).  At this point, you could cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a day or freeze.  Bring to room temperature before baking.

The lasagna bakes for about 30 minutes, or until it's bubbling nicely and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top.  Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.  

Macaroni and Four Cheeses (with hidden squash!)

Who doesn't love a delicious bowl of Macaroni and Cheese?  I really felt like some comfort food, but didn't really want to splurge, so I made Ellie Krieger's version.  She uses small amounts of full fat flavorful cheeses like extra-sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Parmesan.  She also adds winter squash for a health boost and bright orange color.

I was at the store a few weeks ago when I thought about this recipe and decided I wanted to make it in the near future.  I remembered it called for frozen squash.  So I bought a couple bags of frozen, cubed, butternut squash (locally grown even!)

Fast forward to this week.  I've got my pot of milk on the stove, and I'm pouring in the frozen cubes of squash.  I heat it over low heat so they thaw, then bring it almost to a simmer, just like she says.

I'm starting to get confused though - I'm not sure why she isn't telling me to mash the cubes somehow.  Did hers just melt into the milk all by themselves?  I spent several minutes pressing the soft cubes of squash against the sides of the pot to break them up, wondering all the while why she wasn't telling me to do so.  The idea is that the squash is supposed to be disguised in the dish...you know, so kids and picky grown-ups will eat it.  I didn't have a problem with chunks of squash, but I was pretty sure it was supposed to be smooth based on the picture in the book.

So I re-read the ingredient list.

Frozen pureed winter squash.  Ah-ha!  I literally laughed out loud when I read that ingredient.

I almost got out my immersion blender to remedy the situation, but I decided to leave them as is.  I didn't have to hide the vegetable from anyone, so it didn't matter if an occasional piece of squash was visible.

Anyway, we thought this meal really hit the spot.  You couldn't even tell there was a bunch of squash in it (except for a few tell-tale pieces that I didn't mash up!).  However, if you are only craving really creamy stove top macaroni and cheese, this dish probably won't do it for you.  It has a lot of good flavor, it's just not all that creamy.

But if you want a big helping of vitamins A and C, potassium, fiber, and manganese, this is a really delicious way to do it!

Macaroni and Four Cheeses
adapted from Ellie Krieger - The Food You Crave
Serves 8

Cooking spray
One 16-ounce box elbow macaroni
Two 10-ounce packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups lowfat milk (I used 2%)
1 1/3 cups (4 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I bought Tillamook Vintage White)
2/3 cup (2 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the macaroni according to your package directions.  Drain, transfer to the baking dish.

While the pasta is cooking, add the milk and frozen squash to a large saucepan and heat over low, stirring every so often.  The squash should start defrosting and you should be able to gradually break it up with a spoon.  Turn the heat up to medium and let it heat up almost to a simmer, stirring a few times.  Remove from heat, add the cheddar, Jack, and ricotta cheeses, along with the salt, mustard, and cayenne.  Stir until it's pretty well combined, then pour this mixture over the pasta and stir it all together until things are evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil.  Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the macaroni.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling around the edges, then broil for 3 minutes to brown and crisp the top.

Asian Flavored Broccoli and Leafy Greens

Normally if I made a dish like this I would stir fry the vegetables in a little oil and then add in the flavorings towards the end, and probably over-cook the vegetables in the process.  This particular recipe I came across was interesting.  You steam the vegetables first for a few minutes, then toss them together with your sauce ingredients while they are still hot.  It was just as quick as a stir fry but healthier!   

The website that posted this recipe encourages steaming vegetables to preserve as many of their nutrients as possible - and since the main reason for eating vegetables in the first place is for their health benefits, this is something I really should pay more attention to.      

Steamed veggies by themselves sound, well, just plain boring, but when you toss them with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and rice vinegar...oh man, you have to try it!  We piled our veggies over some wild rice and red kidney beans. 

The actual recipe calls for broccoli, carrots, and tofu, but I wanted to use up our CSA veggies so I used a mix of broccoli, cabbage rabe, spinach, kale, and chard.  I also probably used way more veggies than it called for, but the sauce seemed to still flavor it nicely, and we had enough for lunch the next day.

Asian-Flavored Broccoli with Tofu

adapted from World's Healthiest Foods website

Serves 2-4

1 pound broccoli, florets cut into quarters

2 medium carrots, sliced thin

8 ounces tofu, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons grated ginger (I used the stuff in the jar, works great for me!)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Red pepper flakes to taste (we were out, but I think it was fine without them)

 

Fill the bottom of a steamer with a couple inches of water (or, if you don't have a steamer like me, use a pot fitted with a steamer basket.  Heat over medium-high.

While the water is heating, prep your veggies, either the ones they suggest or a mixture of your own.  Large leafy greens should be sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1-inch strips crosswise.  Broccoli florets should be quartered, and the stems sliced into 1/4-inch pieces.  Thinly slice carrots and bell peppers.  Tofu should be cut into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes.

Combine the rest of the ingredients (oil through red pepper flakes) in a small bowl and set aside*.  

The steamer is ready when the water has reached a rolling bowl.  Turn the heat down a bit and start adding the veggies.  Hard vegetables like carrots go in first, along with tofu, if using.  Steam for two minutes.

Add the broccoli to the carrots and tofu.  Steam for 5 minutes.

Leafy greens take about three minutes, so add them a couple minutes after the broccoli, if using.  Spinach only takes ONE minute, so wait until the very end to add that (side note: I had so many veggies and a only small steamer basket so I made two batches, broccoli first, then the greens second.  I put the broccoli in a covered bowl to keep it hot while the greens steamed).

Toss the veggies with the sauce mixture.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds for a nice touch. 

*To mellow the flavor of the garlic, peel and press the cloves, then add them to the steamer in the last two minutes of cooking.  Chop them before tossing together with the sauce ingredients.  If you like spicy garlic flavor, just chop the cloves and add them straight to the sauce mixture without steaming first.