Talk about a heady combination!! Emmentaler cheese, Parmesan, ricotta AND Mozzarella. Combine these cheeses, some mild like the ricotta and mozzarella, some wonderfully smoky like the Emmentaler with the robust earthiness of the porcini mushrooms. It’s a marriage made in culinary heaven. Although there are several steps in this dish, the end result is well worth it.
Mushroom Filling:
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
3 tbsp butter
8 cups sliced mushrooms (1 lb)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups shredded Emmentaler or Swiss cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
Bechamel Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 3/4 cups milk
1 cup vegetable broth, preferably low sodium
1/4 tsp salt
15 lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
Place porcini mushrooms in small bowl; cover with ½ cup hot water. Set aside for 15 minutes. In large skillet set over medium high heat, melt butter; add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are softened, have started to turn golden and any excess liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushrooms to bowl. Drain porcini mushrooms. Chop coarsely; stir into sliced mushroom mixture along with parsley.
1. In separate bowl, combine Emmentaler and ½ cup of Parmesan. In third bowl, stir together ricotta and egg.
2. Bechamel Sauce: In saucepan set over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, garlic and thyme; cook, stirring, for three minutes. Stir in flour for 1 minute; mixture will be very thick. Stir in milk and stock, whisking to break up any clumps. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon. Whisk ¼ cup of sauce into ricotta mixture. Pour remaining sauce over Emmentaler/Parmesan mixture, whisking until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Spread ½ cup of cheese sauce over bottom of 13 – x – 9 inch baking dish. Layer with three noodles, ½ cup of ricotta mixture, ½ cup of mozzarella and ½ cup of cheese sauce. Repeat layering once. Cover with all of mushroom mixture. Repeat layering two more times. Spread remaining sauce over top of last layer of noodles. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with foil.
5. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and broil for about 3 minutes or just until top is starting to turn golden brown. Let lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting into servings.
