Spicy Mushroom Lasagna
This spicy mushroom lasagna combines layers of mushrooms, creamy sauce, and tender pasta in spectacular fashion.
Ingredients
For the fresh mushrooms
- 1 pound 10 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, halved
- 1 pound 2 ounces oyster mushrooms or other wild mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon table salt
For the dried mushrooms
- 2 1/4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms or dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 dried red chile peppers, roughly chopped (seeded if desired)
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons hot store-bought or homemade vegetable stock
For the filling
- 1 (6 oz) onion, peeled and quartered
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 (3 1/4 ounce) carrot, peeled and quartered
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 medium (7 ounces) plum tomatoes, quartered
- 1/3 cup store-bought or homemade tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more as desired
- 3 1/3 cups water
- 9 tablespoons heavy cream (just a touch more than 1/2 cup)
- 2 1/4 ounces (2/3 cup) pecorino, finely grated
- 2 1/2 ounces (2/3 cup) Parmesan, finely grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon
- 9 to 12 ounces oven-ready dried lasagna sheets (about 14 sheets)
Instructions
Roast the fresh mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (220°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, working in 3 or 4 batches, add the button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms and pulse each batch until finely chopped (or finely chop everything by hand).
- In a large bowl, toss the chopped mushrooms with the oil and salt. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast near the top of the oven, stirring 3 or so times throughout, until the mushrooms are golden brown and have reduced in volume significantly, 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 425°F (200°C).
Rehydrate the dried mushrooms
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all the dried mushrooms, the chiles, and hot stock, and let soak for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid into another bowl, squeezing as much liquid from the mushrooms as possible to get just under 1 1/2 cups—if you have any less, top up with water.
- Very roughly chop the rehydrated mushrooms (you want some chunks) and finely chop the chile peppers. Set the stock and mushrooms aside separately.
Make the filling
- In the food processor, combine the onion, garlic, and carrot, and pulse until finely chopped or finely chop everything by hand.
- In a large sauté pan or pot over medium-high heat, warm 4 tablespoons oil. Once hot, add the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes.
- In the food processor, pulse the tomatoes until finely chopped or finely chop by hand and then add them to the pan along with the tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.
- Add the rehydrated mushrooms and chiles and the roasted mushrooms and cook for 9 minutes, stirring only once during the cooking. Resist the urge to stir more frequently; you want the mushrooms to be slightly crisp and browned on the bottom.
- Stir in the water and reserved stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until you get the consistency of a ragù, about 25 minutes.
- Stir in 7 tablespoons of the cream and simmer for 2 minutes more, then remove from the heat.
- In a small bowl, combine both cheeses, the basil, and 1/2 cup parsley.
- Spread 1/5 of the sauce in the bottom of a round 12-inch (30cm) baking dish or a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) rectangular dish, then top with 1/5 of the cheese mixture, followed by a layer of lasagna sheets, broken to fit where necessary. Repeat these layers 3 more times in that order. Finish with a final layer of sauce and cheese; that’s 5 layers of sauce, 5 layers of cheese, and 4 layers of pasta.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon cream and 1 tablespoon olive oil, then cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the temperature to 450°F (220°C), and bake for 12 minutes more, rotating the dish halfway through.
- Turn the oven to the broil setting and broil until the edges are brown and crisp, about 2 minutes.
- Set aside to cool for 5 minutes or so, then drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon cream and 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with the 1 teaspoon parsley and finish with a good grind of pepper. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 657kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1790mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g