Festive Mushroom Lasagna

Festive mushroom lasagna layered with a rich mushroom ragù, creamy béchamel, pasta sheets and Parmesan.

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This meat-free lasagna gets depth from deeply browned mushrooms. Cooking away their moisture before assembling prevents a watery finished dish.

Ingredients

• 900 g mixed mushrooms (finely chopped)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion (finely diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 500 ml passata
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 300 g lasagna sheets
• 70 g unsalted butter
• 70 g plain flour
• 900 ml whole milk (warm)
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 140 g Parmesan (finely grated)
• 250 g mozzarella (grated)
• 1.5 tsp fine salt (divided)
• 0.75 tsp black pepper (divided)

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large frying pan over high heat. Cook the mushrooms in batches so they brown rather than steam, then combine them in the pan.
2. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add garlic, tomato paste and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the passata, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes until thick. Set the mushroom ragù aside.
4. For the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the warm milk.
5. Cook the sauce for 5–7 minutes, whisking, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir in 50 g Parmesan.
6. Spread a little béchamel in a deep baking dish. Layer lasagna sheets, mushroom ragù, béchamel, mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat until the dish is full, finishing with béchamel and cheese.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 190°C conventional or 170°C fan for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until deeply golden.
8. Rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This allows the layers to firm up and prevents the lasagna collapsing on the plate.