Lasagna loaded with cheese ... NOT Northern Italian. Lasagna with cream instead of tomato sauce ... YES Northern Italian!
I couldn't cook when I married at 23; my mother went on cooking strike soon after in her own marriage. A shocking incident with a cake down the garbage shute ... I may share that here someday.
Anyway ... in my day ... young brides cooked for their husbands. So I figure I'd better learn fast. I bought The Foods of the World series from Time-Life (unfortunately now out of print).
And learned fast the often labor intensive dishes from all over the world. Getting all the books outlasted the marriage. But I never forgot this huge hit I often made for guests back then in my "Harriet Housefrau" personna.
I discovered most of this recipe in the magazine, GFF. But the Ragu Bolognese in it didn't wow me. So I used the one from my old pal, The Foods of the World. Get it here.
And here's the rest of the recipe modified to be Dairy Free. Coconut milk makes a killer cream sauce. And I used the fresh Gluten Free lasagna sheets from RP's Pasta.
SPOILER ALERT ... this isn't easy or Paleo. But for those of us who hanker for this dish (and it's many when you see all the pictures of it on the internet), it's NIRVANA!
AuthorJill PlaceLasagna loaded with cheese ... NOT Northern Italian. Lasagna with cream instead of tomato sauce ... YES Northern Italian! I make it here also Dairy Free with Just like Parmesan and Gluten Free lasagna sheets. Eat it up ... FOR REAL!
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 90 seconds to combine. Whisk in the milk, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer while stirring, for 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and the nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup of the ragu in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles (you get 12 in the package of sheets ... and have the option to do 3 width-wise [4 layers as shown in the picture] or 4 lengthwise [3 layers] ... I've done both). Spread 2/3 cup bechamel over the noodles, then top with 1 1/4 cups of the ragu and 1/2 cup of the "parmesan". Repeat to create 2 (1) more layers of noodles, bechamel, and "cheese". Top with a layer of noodles. Spread the remaining bechamel over the last noodle layer (you won't use it all if you do only 3 layers) and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup "cheese". Dot with butter and sprinkle with fresh rosemary.
Cover the baking dish with foil (not my fave because it may be dangerous but you can also use a baking sheet, metal lid, parchment paper, silicone lid, or a silicone mat instead [trying all of them next time]), place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until bubbling hot, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the foil (or alternates) and broil for 3 minutes to brown the top. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 90 seconds to combine. Whisk in the milk, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer while stirring, for 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and the nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup of the ragu in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles (you get 12 in the package of sheets ... and have the option to do 3 width-wise [4 layers as shown in the picture] or 4 lengthwise [3 layers] ... I've done both). Spread 2/3 cup bechamel over the noodles, then top with 1 1/4 cups of the ragu and 1/2 cup of the "parmesan". Repeat to create 2 (1) more layers of noodles, bechamel, and "cheese". Top with a layer of noodles. Spread the remaining bechamel over the last noodle layer (you won't use it all if you do only 3 layers) and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup "cheese". Dot with butter and sprinkle with fresh rosemary.
Cover the baking dish with foil (not my fave because it may be dangerous but you can also use a baking sheet, metal lid, parchment paper, silicone lid, or a silicone mat instead [trying all of them next time]), place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until bubbling hot, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the foil (or alternates) and broil for 3 minutes to brown the top. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
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