Well we finally got the snow that we’ve been lacking this winter season.  My son is thrilled and looking forward to some sledding.  I, however, am already in “bring me some spring” mode, and could care less about the snow.  That being said, however, I did purchase an abnormally large sled today simply due to all of that pretty white stuff outside… at least that was my excuse as I carted it out of Target.

I’m craving comfort food lately, but of trying to stick to eating more vegetables.  So, when I saw this in the new issue of Cooking Light.  I adore mushrooms, so it was right up my alley.   My son loved it too!  I do admit, I added much more salt to the sauce than it called for, and a bit of nutmeg too.  I just loved this dish, and can’t wait to make it again.

Mushroom Lasagna
courtesy of Cooking Light, January 2012

serves: 6
WW PointsPlus: 10

1 cup boiling water
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups chopped shallots (about 4)
1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
1 (4-ounce) package presliced exotic mushroom blend
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
1 1/10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
Cooking spray
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 1 cup boiling water and porcini. Cover and let stand 30 minutes; strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid and mushrooms.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add cremini and exotic mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned. Add thyme and 3 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Stir in wine; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove from heat; stir in cream cheese and 1 tablespoon chives. Add reserved porcini mushrooms.

Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add remaining 3 garlic cloves to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add the reserved porcini liquid, 2 3/4 cups milk, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil. Combine remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to milk mixture, and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Spoon 1/2 cup sauce into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, and top with 3 noodles. Spread half of mushroom mixture over noodles. Repeat layers, ending with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden. Top with remaining 1 tablespoon chopped chives.

~M