I usually click away from TV chefs when they finish talking and actually get to the cooking. But I happened upon Rachael Ray’s “what’s for dinner” segment recently, and to my surprise, she was making a meatless meal. I had NOT expected this. So I made a point to tune in the next day, and guess what? Another vegetarian dish. ‘Easy’ lasagna with broken noodles and bechamel.

Thanks, Rach. You’ve inspired the first recipe for Farmers’ Market Week.

This recipe provides the joys of lasagna (wide, satisfying noodles; flexibility with vegetable choices) with none of the perfectionist layering. Yea! The only item I had to get at the store was the fresh nutmeg (and it’s worth it). Everything else came from the Farmers’ Market or my well-stocked pantry.

Broken Lasagna in Bechamel

Implements:

  • Large pasta pot
  • colander
  • wooden spoon
  • saute or sauce pan
  • whisk
  • 9 x 12 rectangular baking pan & foil to cover
  • microplane or very fine grater
  • measuring implements

Ingredients:

  • 1 box lasagna noodles, broken into large pieces.
  • 1 bunch mustard greens, sliced into large bites
  • a ton ‘o mushrooms (cremini is preferred), sliced
  • 4+ cloves garlic, minced or crushed
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • sherry cooking wine (or a dry white wine)
  • fresh nutmeg (1 nut)
  • thyme
  • 4T flour (have extra on hand, you might need it)
  • 2c rice milk (unsweetened, unflavored)
  • 2-3 T vegetable oil

Procedure (it looks long, but it’s actually really simple):

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  2. Cook the broken lasagne per package directions. Meanwhile, clean & slice your greens. Have them at the ready.
  3. Turn off the flame when the lasagne is done and wilt the greens into the hot water, poking them down with a wooden spoon. They will turn a bright, brilliant green almost instantly (or deep purple, if they’re purple). Throw the pasta & greens into a colander, rinse, and set aside. RINSING is important. You don’t want the flat lasagne to stick into one big lasagna clump.
  4. Put the same pasta pot back on the stove & heat the garlic in a bit of olive oil. You don’t want too much oil for this. After a few minutes add a generous amount of thyme, a dash of salt, the sliced mushrooms & a splash of sherry cooking wine. Let the mushrooms sweat out slowly over a low flame, stirring every now and then with a wooden spoon. When done, turn off the flame, add some fresh cracked pepper and set aside.
  5. Make your bechamel! In your saute or sauce pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium flame. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes. When you have a thick, sticky, even paste, it’s ready for the milk. Pour in the rice milk bit by bit, still whisking constantly, for 5-7 minutes. If it begins bubbling vigorously, you might need to turn the heat down - rice milk does burn. If it gets too thin towards the end, you may have to add more flour. Sprinkle it in lightly so as not to clump. It’s done when it’s a thick, yet pourable, velvety texture.
  6. Turn off the flame! Sprinkle in your salt, grind your pepper, and grate 3/4 of your fresh nutmeg. Whisk it in with a final flourish.
  7. Assembly time! Dump your lasagne and greens in with the mushrooms. Pour 3/4 of the bechamel into the pot. Stir until noodles are coated.
  8. Put it all in the 9 x 12 baking dish and pour the remaining bechamel on top. Cover with foil and put in the oven. Baking might not seem necessary - but I like the presentation in a lasagna pan. Also, the pasta is likely to be cold by this point and you need to re-warm anyways. If you feel like re-warming over the flame, go for it.
  9. Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on how much everything has cooled down. Check on it often. Don’t let your noodles dry out.
  10. Take a moment to clean up your kitchen while this is in the oven. Set your table. Put out any salad, fruit, nuts or olive accompaniments you might have on hand.
  11. Remove lasagna from oven and microplane/grate the remaining nutmeg on top for an attractive garnish and added boost of flavor. Fresh nutmeg is heavenly.
  12. Enjoy!

Wanna shake it up?

  • Instead of mustard greens you could use kale or collard greens.
  • Before serving, sprinkle nutritional yeast or flax seed meal on top for a healthy boost.
  • Add other veggies you might have on hand. I threw in a bit of steamed cauliflower I had leftover from yesterday.
  • I think next time I’ll add a protein - probably cannellini beans!