Chicken & Portobello Mushroom Creamy White Lasagna

There’s been a recipe sitting in the back of my mind for years, and for one reason or another I’ve never made it. 

Could be because my husband doesn’t like lasagna. (I know – who doesn’t like lasagna?)

Or maybe it’s just because lasagna isn’t something you can throw together in 30 minutes on a weeknight.

At any rate, last night was book club…pot luck style. Perfect excuse to bring out THE recipe, with a few tweaks of my own, of course. Time to channel Ina Garten in my oh-so-not-the-Hamptons kitchen, and try my darndest to use the “very best” of every ingredient or whatever happens to be at my local grocery store.

Like most Ina recipes, her Portobello Mushroom Lasagna is simple, yet has plenty of flavor to provide a richness that oozes both comfort and decadence. And cheese. And calories.

And still, I felt the need to add more. So there’s that.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling water with 2 tablespoons of salt for 10 minutes, then drain it and set aside.

Add the garlic and milk to a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat until it’s hot, but not boiling. Meanwhile, melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has finished melting, add the flour and stir it with a wooden spoon for about a minute until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic from the milk, and then pour the milk into the flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper and the nutmeg. Whisk off and on for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens – set it aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add half the mushrooms, half the onions and 1 tablespoon of basil and saute them for 5 minutes or until you start to see the mushroom juices release and they soften. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and set them aside. Reduce the heat in the skillet to medium and add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and butter. Repeat the saute process with the remaining mushrooms, onions, and 1 tablespoon of basil. Add the mushrooms to the others in the bowl and set them all aside.

Ladle enough sauce to cover the bottom of a 8×12″ lasagna pan, then build the first layer with 4 lasagna noodles. Add more sauce and the chicken, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, sprinkle with basil and then arrange another layer of noodles on top.

Repeat the layering process 2 more times with the sauce, mushrooms, basil and Parmesan. Place one last layer of noodles on top, add the remaining sauce, the mozzarella slices and the remaining basil and Parmesan.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the top starts to brown and the sauce is bubbly. Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes, then serve it hot with crusty bread and a fresh simple salad.