Vegetable & Pesto Lasagna Béchamel

Lisa, Ken and Jordan came for dinner on Sunday. Lisa and Ken helped us move our huge refrigerator down the stairs and bring the new refrigerator up the stairs. Not only did Ken and Lisa do the heavy lifting, they switched the new fridge doors to open on the other side and hooked up the ice machine. The very least I could do was feed them dinner. Thank you again Stenvers Family!

The day before, I got inspired and made two kinds of lasagna - traditional "Meat Lovers" lasagna, and this vegetarian lasagna. The recipe looks pretty daunting with all the steps, but if you organize yourself and make one component at a time it's not hard to make. It worked well for me to clean up my work area after making each component.

There are 6 steps to this lasagna –
Ø prepare the pesto,
Ø the béchamel sauce,
Ø the vegetable layer,
Ø the tomato layer,
Ø cook the noodles,
Ø assemble and bake

Pecan Arugula Pesto (or, use a batch of traditional Basil pesto, purchased or made fresh)
1/2 cup pecans (3 oz), toasted
1 large garlic clove
½ teaspoon salt
1 bunch arugula, coarse stems discarded
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano ( 1 ½ oz)
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp. black pepper

Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (wood pestle works better than marble); or, mince and mash with a large heavy knife.
Blend pecans, arugula, cheese, oil, pepper, and garlic paste in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.

Béchamel Sauce
5 cups milk (I used 2 ½ cups 2% milk and 2 ½ cups ½ & 1/2)
¼ cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
4 peppercorns
1 to 2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig parsley
4 tablespoons salted butter
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
Sea salt and pinch of freshly ground white pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes, over medium to low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Pour the infused milk and herbs through a fine-mesh strainer. Save the milk and discard the herbs. Return to low heat.

In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium to low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for at least 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until frothy and starting to turn gold brown. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and cook, stirring, for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate until time for assembly.

Vegetable Layer
1 tsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed
2 cups chopped leeks, white and tender green parts
½ tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups grated carrots
2 cups shredded broccoli stalks
2 cups sliced mushrooms

In a heavy or preferably nonstick skillet on medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic, leeks, and thyme and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the wine, carrots, and broccoli, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cover, and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender but still firm. Add a dash of salt and pepper and set aside.

Tomato/Basil Layer
3 cups undrained canned tomatoes (28-oz can)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Pour the canned tomatoes and juice into a bowl and crush the tomatoes by hand. Add the fresh basil, stir well, and set aside.

Assemble and Bake
18 extra-wide lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
Combine sautéed vegetables and pesto; toss well to incorporate pesto throughout veggies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a deep 8 x 12-inch baking dish with cooking spray or a light coating of oil.

Layer half of the tomato-basil mixture in the bottom of the dish, top with a single layer of noodles, half of the vegetable/pesto, a cup of the béchamel sauce, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons of the grated mozzarella. Top with a second layer of noodles, the rest of the vegetables, the remaining béchamel sauce, a third layer of noodles, the rest of the tomato-basil mixture, and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheeses.
Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Allow the lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before serving.



(I created this recipe from two other Lasagna recipes – one from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, and one from The Abundant Table, recipes from The Bishop’s Ranch Kitchen. The pesto recipe is from Farm Fresh To You. )