Stovetop Mushroom Lasagna

This easy and creamy vegetarian stovetop lasagna was very well received by my family. 😉 The original recipe said that it wasn’t as pretty as a typical baked and layered lasagna, but I thought that it looked pretty appealing.

The recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Sarah Jampel. I increased the amount of mushrooms and garlic. I also used no-boil lasagna noodles. It is a perfect weeknight dish.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 5 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 12 to 16 oz mixed mushrooms (such as maitake, oyster, shiitake, and/or crimini), trimmed, cut or torn into 1″ pieces (I used stemmed & quartered cremini mushrooms)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 T thyme leaves
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 3 to 6 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 2 3/4 cups whole milk
• freshly ground black pepper
• lemon zest, plus wedges for serving, optional
• 1/3 cup crème fraîche or thinned sour cream
• 8 to 9 oz regular lasagna noodles, broken in half (no-boil okay)
• 4 to 5 oz mozzarella, thinly sliced
• finely grated Parmesan, for serving

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large high-sided ovenproof skillet (preferably with a lid) or small Dutch oven over medium-high. (I used a large, wide enameled cast iron pot.)
2. Add mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; mix in thyme.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop the shallot and garlic cloves in the bowl of a mini food processor.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 1 minute.
5. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
6. Add milk, pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 3/4 cups water, then finely grate zest of 1/4 lemon into pan. Stir to dissolve flour, increase heat to medium, and cook until gently bubbling.
7. Reduce heat to low, whisk in crème fraîche (or sour cream), and stir to combine.
8. Add about one third of noodles, pushing down into sauce to submerge, followed by a third of the mushrooms.
9. Repeat with half of remaining noodles and mushrooms.
10. Top with another layer of noodles. **Set remaining mushrooms aside.**
11. Cover with a lid or foil and cook 15 minutes. (If lasagna threatens to boil over, use very lowest heat and/or prop open the cover.)
12. Uncover; cook, gently lifting and separating noodles occasionally with tongs or a spatula to let sauce flow around, until sauce is thickened and noodles are cooked through, 6–10 minutes. Mixture should be bubbling gently; adjust heat as necessary. Remove from heat.
13. Heat broiler. Top lasagna with mozzarella and reserved mushrooms.
14. Broil until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, about 2 minutes.
15. Finely grate more lemon zest over. Sprinkle with Parmesan; season with pepper.
16. Let sit 5–10 minutes. Cut lemon into wedges, if desired, and serve with lasagna.

Ina Garten’s Wild Mushroom & Farro Soup

Wow. I absolutely loved this earthy, rich, and full-flavored soup. I doubled the recipe to freeze a batch to serve for lunch on Thanksgiving Day. (I trusted Ina Garten enough to double the recipe the first time I made it!) 🙂

This recipe is from Ina Garten’s Make it Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, via thekitchn.com. I increased the amount of garlic and incorporated homemade turkey stock. I served it with sliced sourdough baguette and green salad dressed with mustard vinaigrette. Wonderful.

Yield: Serves 6

• 1 1/2 oz dried wild mushrooms, such as morels or porcini
• 3 T good olive oil
• 4 oz pancetta, diced
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups (1/4-inch-diced) peeled carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
• 2 cups (1/4-inch-diced) celery (3 to 5 stalks)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup pearled farro (5 ounces)
• 12 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems discarded, 1/4-inch-sliced
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T dry Marsala wine, divided
• 1 quart chicken, turkey, or beef stock
• 3 large sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 oz crème fraîche
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Place the dried mushrooms and 6 cups of water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the pancetta, onions, carrots, and celery and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the garlic and farro and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the cremini mushrooms and the 1/2 cup Marsala and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms have released some of their liquid.
5. Meanwhile, strain the dried mushrooms through cheesecloth, reserving the liquid.
6. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and add them to the pot, along with the strained soaking liquid, beef broth, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
7. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes, until the farro is tender. Discard the thyme bundle.
8. In a small bowl, mash together the flour and butter and stir into the hot soup. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the crème fraîche and remaining 2 tablespoons of Marsala, and taste for seasonings.
9. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve hot.

Note: Be sure to buy “pearled” farro; regular farro takes much longer to cook.

Make ahead: Prepare the soup completely. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat before serving.