Mushroom Lasagna with Kale and Roasted Radicchio

This lasagna makes for a great vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish or the centerpiece of a dinner party with friends. Assemble it on a day that you have time for some project cooking and freeze it until you’re ready to serve. If you’re pressed for time or don’t own a pasta maker, you can substitute no-bake lasagna noodles.

Mushroom/Kale/Radicchio Mixture

• 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 pound baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 cup kale, stems and ribs removed, torn into 1-inch pieces

• 1 small radicchio, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

• 3 medium shallots, minced

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/2 Tbsp. truffle oil

• 4 large fresh basil leaves torn into pieces (plus more for serving)

• 1/2 tsp. each fresh thyme and rosemary, finely chopped

Ricotta Mixture:

• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

• 1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesan

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp. cayenne

• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 6 large leaves fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Béchamel:

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

• 3 Tbsp. flour

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/2 cup grated gruyere

• 1/2 cup grated fontina

Pasta Dough:

• 2 cups flour

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 Tbsp. salt

For Assembly:

• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

• Fresh basil for serving (optional)

Special Equipment needed: pasta maker & a 13” x 9” baking dish.

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Directions:

Make pasta dough. Whisk eggs and salt together in a small bowl until combined. Mound flour onto clean work surface. Using your hands, make a well in the center about 3 inches in diameter. Pour egg mixture in the center and using a fork, slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture until dough begins to form. Using a dough scraper, flip dough, slowly incorporating flour until dough is firm enough to knead. Knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is firm and smooth. Cover with a clean inverted bowl and let rest for 30 minutes. (Note: You will have additional flour left over which can be reserved for rolling out the pasta.)

Make mushroom/kale/radicchio mixture. Preheat oven to 375° F. Toss radicchio with 1/4 cup olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned on the edges, about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to a large heavy bottomed pot and heat on medium low. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and kale and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add roasted radicchio, salt to taste, and truffle oil. Stir to combine.

Make ricotta mixture. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan or pecorino, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, pepper, lemon juice and basil. Set aside.

Make béchamel: Melt butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly until paste forms. Continue to cook for about 2 minutes, whisking continuously, but do not allow it to brown. Add milk and increase heat high, whisking continuously and making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook another 3-5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add salt, nutmeg, gruyere, parmesan or pecorino and stir until combined. Adjust seasoning and remove from heat.

Make pasta: Preheat oven to 350° F. Fill a large pot with water, a generous amount of salt and a splash of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Heat to a boil. While water is heating, cut pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Place one piece of the dough on a lightly floured work surface and cover the remaining pieces with the inverted bowl to prevent them from drying out. Flatten the dough into a rectangle shape and starting on the widest setting, pass through the rollers of the pasta maker. Run through one additional time at widest setting, folding as needed to make sure it can fit through the machine and dusting with flour if it is sticky. Adjust machine to the next narrower setting and run the dough through again. Continue until machine is at the next to narrowest setting (setting #5 on most pasta makers). Transfer dough to a clean lightly floured surface and repeat process with remaining dough until you have 6 long sheets. Make sure to not allow them to touch or they will stick together. If you don’t have enough counter space, you can also drape them on the backs of your dining room chairs or on a collapsible clothesline.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and about 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Once water in the pot reaches a boil, cook pasta in batches until just cooked, 1-2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer to the bowl of ice water. Repeat until all pasta has been cooked.

Assemble lasagne: Spread béchamel across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with one layer of pasta, tearing as needed to fit the size of the pan. Spread a generous amount of the mushroom mixture over the pasta, then dot with spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture, using the back of a spoon to spread over the mushroom mixture. Put another layer of pasta on top, then béchamel, mushroom mixture, and ricotta mixture, repeating this process until all pasta is gone and baking dish is full. Top with mozzarella and bake until cheese is bubbling and lightly browned, about 45-55 minutes.

Cook’s note: The lasagna can be stored in the freezer up to 3 months. If you opt to freeze it, do so after assembling the dish but before cooking and make sure it to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or an oversize plastic ziplock bag to ensure it is airtight.