Sorry for the long post, but everyone seems to love this when I make it, so I thought I'd share. The nutmeg in the bechemel sauce adds a really nice, nutty flavor that's perfect for this time of year. It's a bit time consuming, but I think it's worth it. It's also totally vegetarian, but carnivores seem to enjoy it just the same.
Roasted Red Pepper Lasagne w/ Bechemel Sauce (6-8 servings)
Ingredients
12 no-boil lasagne noodles
1 1/4c finely shredded parmesan cheese
Fresh Basil sprigs for garnish
For Red Pepper Sauce:
2 7 oz jars whole (or halved) roasted sweet red peppers
1 tbs olive oil
1 28 oz can crushed tomatos
1/2 c snipped fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
For Bechemel Sauce:
1/3 c butter
1/3c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 c milk
Directions
For Red Pepper Sauce:
- Drain red peppers and slice into thin strips
- In a large saucepan, sautee pepper strips in hot olive oil over medium heat 1 minute. Stir in undrained tomatos, basil, garlic, black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool.
For Bechemel Sauce:
- In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour, nutmeg and 1/2 tsp salt until smooth. Add milk all at once and whisk to fully blend. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. I typically keep the heat low and continue whisking until it thickens (this may take a while, but slower cooking and whisking makes the nicest sauce in my opinion, and is less likely to burn!).
To Assemble:
- Grease the bottom of a 3 qt rectangular baking dish. Cover bottom of dish with 3 no-boil lasagne noodles. Evenly spread about 1 cup of the red pepper sauce over noodles. Evenly top with 3/4 cup bechemel sauce. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat for 3 more layers with the remaining pasta, red pepper sauce, bechemel sauce and parmesan. Be sure the top layer of noodles is completely covered in sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.
Baking Instructions:
- Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven 35 - 40 minutes or until bubbly and light brown on top. Let stand 20 minutes. Garnish with basil sprigs.
To Make Ahead:
Assemble lasagne as directed. Cover w/ plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. To serve, remove plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15-25 minutes until bubbly and light brown.