CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Mushroom Lasagne…

 

Good morning and welcome to my kitchen where all my recipes are cooked by me and tried and tested on my family…Trust me they are the harshest of critics…Not only have I reduced the amount of meat I eat I am trying to introduce more meat-free dishes into my family’s diet…plus many of my readers and friends are either vegetarian or vegan and I respect other people’s views and observances of their chosen diet…

Also, I promised the lovely Trish who writes under the pen name of Alex Craigie that I would come up with some vegetable-based dishes for her…Hence I have decided that every other week there will be a vegetable-based dish all tried and tested in my kitchen…

Today’s vegetarian recipe is Mushroom Lasagne…

This lasagne recipe is one my son made when I was over in the UK…he asked me if I looked garlic as it is a 40-clove garlic lasagne…it has 4 roasted cloves of garlic, layered with mushrooms and a creamy cheese sauce…it is decadent and definitely, a treat not recommended to eat or serve if you are going on a hot date …

Ingredients:

  • 4 Bulbs of Garlic
  • 4 Shallots
  • 1.5kg Mushrooms
  • 150g Parmesan
  • 6 Tbsp Butter
  • 4 Tbsp Plain Flour
  • 800ml Milk
  • 250g Mozzarella
  • 4 Sprigs of Sage
  • Small Handful of Parsley
  • 200g Fresh Lasagne Sheets
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive Oil

Let’s Cook!

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Chop the ends off your bulbs of garlic and your shallots. Chop the shallots in half and drizzle them liberally with oil. Wrap your bulbs of garlic tightly in foil and roast for 1 hour.

Garlic and banana shallots

Grate the parmesan.

Melt 4 tbsp of butter in a pot and then whisk in the flour. Slowly drizzle in the milk to form a thick sauce. Add in the mozzarella and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Finely chop the sage and parsley.

Roughly chop up the mushrooms and add them to a large pot with the remaining butter and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté for 15 mins until softened. Season with salt and pepper.

Once the shallots and garlic are roasted, pop them in a blender with 200ml of water and ¼ of the mushroom mix and 2 tbsp of the bechamel sauce. Blend until very smooth, there should be no fibrous bits, add more water if necessary.

Add the garlic liquid to the mushrooms and cook on a low heat to make a thick sauce.

Mix in the sage and parsley.

Layer a lasagne dish first with a thin layer of mushrooms, then a thin layer of béchamel and then the lasagne sheets. Repeat with thin layers of the filling, ending on a layer of béchamel. Finish with the parmesan.

Pop into the oven for 30 mins, allow to rest for 15 mins and then serve.

Thank you for joining me today this is a lovely meat-free lasagne very rich and creamy…and so very delicious…a lovely dish for a dinner party or a buffet or just because…

44 thoughts on “CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Mushroom Lasagne…”

  1. joylennick

    Hi Carol, Thanks for reading and liking my Autumn poem. I cooked for ‘im indoors and our three sons for 47 years…and, when we retired to Spain 22 years ago, ‘he’ said “I’d like to do the cooking now…” (muttering “revenge”…though only joking – I think…)We used to run a small hotel so were both used to stoves…Now we’re ancient (me 90 and he’s 94,) we don’t eat so much but still enjoy our food. He made 5 vegie soup with lentils last night, followed by cheese on toast, and makes a tasty Chicken Thai now and then. We like most vegies and your mushroom dish sounds inviting. Carry on with the good work, Carol and have an enjoyable weekend! Hugs xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Wow you are certainly doing well for your ages I hope I am still cooking at 90 although my mother wasn’t far off that and unfortunately the dementia took over her brain…she doesn’t cook or do anything any more…we had a small restaurant in Phuket so like you I am used to cooking and having children have always cooked anyway…old habits die hard…lol..The mushroom lasagne is quite rich but very tasty if you like mushrooms /cheeses and we do. I hope you have a good weekend too, Joy Hugs xx

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  2. acflory

    My eye zoomed in to this recipe as soon as I read ‘mushrooms’ and ‘garlic’. When I was a kid, my mother taught me to always cook mushrooms with garlic to make sure the mushrooms weren’t the poisonous ones. According to Mum, the garlic would change colour if the mushies were ‘bad’.
    I don’t know if there’s any real truth in this, but I’ve always loved the combination of flavours so that’s how I’ve always cooked mushrooms. Does roasting the garlic first change the flavour a great deal?
    And would it really matter if I skipped that step?
    Love the idea of mushroom lasagna and I know the Offspring would love it too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Roasting the garlic makes garlic easy to digest, regulating a healthy gut..plus roasting the garlic at high temperatures caramelizes the natural sugars inside. This provides a depth of flavour and some very mild sweetness while mellowing out some of garlic’s more potent bite…for me I wouldn’t omit the roasting for this dish…I always roast my garlic unless I am stir-frying and then I don’t…Hope that helps 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Hi Robbie.. Yes this dish is heavy on both and garlic.. I couldn’t eat a big portion of it but everyone loved it.. I will definitely make it again… even though its not waistline friendly… smile..

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      They were my thoughts exactly, Liz but with all the other flavours the garlic was not as prominent and didn’t overwelm as I lhought it would… It is one of the nicest dishes I have tasted for a while plus I always tweak a recipe… this one all the ratios were perfectly balanced… The only tweak I will make is to make the sauce a tad thinner.. 🤗

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  5. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 25th September -1st October 2022-Monday Musings, Mushroom Lasagne with 40 cloves of garlic, Health, Morbid Obesity, Aromatic Leaves…Scent Leaves…and Saturday Snippets where “Rain” is my one word prompt. | Retired? No

  9. alexcraigie

    Sorry I’m a bit late coming to this, Carol. First, I need to tell you that the last one – Eggy Crumpets – was so great we’ve had it twice now and it will become one of our brunch staples. I’m not normally a fan of feta but it went beautifully with it and gave it a necessary bite. 😀
    I understand Prior’s concerns and you do have to make sure that you eat the right balance of pulses, etc. I’ve been vegetarian for nearly forty years now and my health problems started before that point. I do eat eggs and dairy which helps with the range of necessary nutrients.
    Anyway, this new recipe sounds as if it’s just up my street, too! I’ll be adding the ingredients to my shopping list for next week and I’ll let you know. (Did I mention that I love garlic?!!) I’d better go before the drool hits the keyboard. xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      No worries, Alex…I am happy you loved the eggy crumpets they are tasty everyone loved them in my house…The mushroom lasagne is another one…They didn’t utter a word about not having meat and even had seconds…it does have a lot of garlic it will definitely keep the vampires etc away…lol…I have enough of the mushroom mix to make another one albeit smaller so next time I will use a bigger dish or reduce the mushrooms, either way, it will get made again…Thank you so much for your feedback, Alex…xx

      Liked by 1 person

      1. alexcraigie

        Genuinely my pleasure – you’ve hit the spot with the others and it’s exciting trying something new that has had all the legwork done by someone else. xx

        Liked by 1 person

  10. petespringerauthor

    Not usually a big fan of vegetarian dishes, but this is one I’d try. Of course, I’d try just about anything with cheese.😊

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Rebecca Budd

    We are seeing a great deal of discussion regarding dietary trends: urban farm produce, meatless meals, climate-conscious foods etc. The two greatest issues we face is food costs (fresh fruit and veggies are pricey) and increases in population. Farming/agriculture will undergo significant changes to reach food production that will be required in the coming decades. I am looking back at my grandmother’s recipe books because I believe that we will need to be more innovative in food preparation. That is why I enjoy your posts, Carol. You understand these issues and I have learned a great deal from our connection.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Rebecca… I think our grandmothers can teach us such a lot as they had to deal with food shortages due to rationing, large families etc.. I never ever didn’t have 3 meals a day.. No we didn’t have fast food, numerous snacks and ice cream on tap plus all these sodas… Do I feel I was deprived.. Never!… Soda as was ice cream was real treat… not an expectation…we have to relearn and look at what is neccessary for a healthy diet and what is not… Enjoy reading your grandmothers cookery books..📖❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  12. tidalscribe.com

    Discussion of what we should or shouldn’t eat reminds me of an old chap telling us he and his wife had decided they were omnitarians and wondered if they should phone Waitrose in advance to check if they catered for them!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      He used just a mix.. I used white button, chestnut, brown and white enoki mushroom… It is vety rich but lovely if you love mushrooms and garlic…

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I’m a meat eater and it also satisfied all of the meat eaters in our house plus with approx 40 cloves(4 bulbs) of garlic its ideal for any garlic lovers like us and you methinks, John 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Prior...

    This looks good but my husband and I are moving away from “more veggies” and adding more and more meat to our diet – I know we all have different approaches but I feel that meat is the biggest superfood (whereas most veggies are survival foods)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It’s up to each individual, Yvette we are a long way from being veggies but I have cut down on my meat and do feel better I eat more fish than meat now but will never be totally vegetarian as I feel you need a balanced diet to stay healthy 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        I do think we need vegetables in our diet but I don’t like how meat eaters are made to feel by some vegans/vegetarians I respect any ones right to follow whatever eating regime they feel is right for them and let me do the same…

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Prior...

        Yes – I agree
        And not an expert on this but have been learning about lectins and how some veggies are not that good for us – like Kale and other veggies – and there seems to be propaganda making seeds and certain veggies as the power foods when in fact there are certain healing nutrients we can only get from meat.
        And again / like you noted / no shaming because we all have our values and beliefs that guide choices – but so many vegans I know look “aged”
        And also – I think as a fuel source- veggies are a poor choice as far as what the body needs for fuel –

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