A Grown Up Lasagna

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Whew.. what a week. I'm super tired from unloading boxes, setting up stuff exactly where we want it, and then rearranging it, because we realize that's not the spot that makes the most sense! But it's been fun.

Minus the crazy drainage problem we discovered and had water flood our bathroom floor x 3, and leaking out the washing machine x 1! Luckily that got fixed on the quick.

My friend Aimee let me borrow one of her favorite cookbooks, and I love it. I haven't had anything bad from it yet, and she's made a lot of things for me! :) This lasagna recipe comes from there, and it includes a whole lotta yummy ingredients - but dressed up a little different - meaning, no red sauce, making it a little fancier.

You make your own sauce out of a rue, and include sauteed mushrooms and garlic, and prosciutto (I used bacon because I had it on hand). The recipe calls for ricotta, but I cut the portion in half and used mascarpone cheese for the other half, because again, I had it on hand, and I LOVE mascarpone. It made the flavor nice and creamy! The lasagna is so good, it would make a great entree for having a dinner party, or taking a meal to an event!

P.S. - I halved the recipe because it's just me and my husband, and it turned out great!

CHEESY CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA (Adapted from: Simply Classic, The Junior League of Seattle).

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

12 lasagna noodles

1 pound portobello mushrooms, sliced

6 TBS. butter, divided

1 TBS. olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup. fresh parsley, chopped

6 TBS. flour

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 cup half and half

3 cups chicken breast, cubed

1/3 pound prosciutto or bacon

8 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz mascarpone cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place cubed chicken in pan, and cook thoroughly until browned, about 4 minutes.

3. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water. Lay noodles flat on paper towels.

4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil until golden, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add garlic and parsley, saute 2 minutes more, being careful not to brown the garlic.

5. For Sauce: in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add flour and cook without browning for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

6. Add milk and chicken stock, a little at a time. Cook until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. To avoid scorching, remove sauce from heat as soon as it starts to boil. Sauce will not thicken any further once it has boiled. Season sauce with salt and white pepper.

7. To Assemble: set aside 2 tablespoons parmesan. Mix together ricotta and mascarpone.

Pour half and half in the bottom of a 10x12-inch baking pan. Lay 4 noodles ina single layer in pan. Pace 1/3 each of the mushroom mixture, chicken, and prosciutto over the noodle layer. Dot with 1/3 of the ricotta/mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle with 1/3 each of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with 1/3 of teh sauce. Repeat this process 2 more times, beginning with the noodles and ending with the white sauce. Sprinkle with reserved Parmesan.

8. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 40 minutes. Cover and let sit 10 min. before serving.