Recipe: Make Ahead Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna
Lasagna is the perfect food for make ahead as it tastes better once the flavours have time to mingle. Make this 1-2 days ahead of time for the best possible flavour.
Ingredients
Béchamel sauce:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 8 cups (2 L) whole milk
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Ricotta layer:
- 1 tub (475 g) full fat ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp picked thyme
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
Mushroom and sausage layer:
- 2 lbs Italian sausage
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 lbs cremini mushrooms, brushed and quartered
- Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Assembly:
- 2 packages (360 g each) fresh lasagna noodles
- 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chiffonade
Preparation
Béchamel sauce:
In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add flour and whisk together to form a roux. Cook roux, whisking regularly, for 5 minutes, do not allow roux to brown. Quickly whisk in milk and continue to cook sauce until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Make sure you are whisking all the way to the bottom to prevent scorching. Set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.
Ricotta layer:
Combine all ingredients and set aside for assembly.
Mushroom and sausage layer:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1tbsp olive oil. Split the sausages and remove the meat from the casings, discard casings. Add sausage and onion to preheated pan and brown, breaking up large pieces with wooden spoon. Remove sausage and onion from pan with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, leaving the rendered sausage fat in the pan. Add more olive oil to the pan if required. Brown the mushrooms in the pan, working in batches as needed so as not to overcrowd the pan. When all mushrooms are browned, add to the bowl with sausage and onion and mix to combine. Set aside to cool until ready to assemble lasagna.
Assembly:
Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of béchamel sauce in the bottom of dish. Layer with lasagna noodles, cutting noodles if necessary to fit the pan. Top with half of the sausage and mushroom mixture, 1 cup of grated mozzarella, and 2 cups of béchamel sauce. Add another layer of noodles, and top with the ricotta mixture, spreading evenly. Add another layer of noodles, and top with the rest of the sausage mixture, 1 cup of grated cheese, and 2 cups of béchamel. Add a last layer of noodles*, spread with the rest of the béchamel, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Wrap with a piece of tin foil sprayed with cooking spray, place lasagna on a baking sheet and bake at 325F for 1 ½ hours. Remove tin foil for last half hour of cooking. Let lasagna rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
*Making this lasagna a day ahead of your dinner party? Stop here, wrap with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until the day of your party. Remove lasagna from the fridge for one hour before baking. Preheat oven to 325F and bake lasagna wrapped with a piece of tin foil sprayed with cooking spray for 1 ½ hours, and then remove tin foil for last half hour of cooking. Let lasagna rest for 20 minutes before slicing.