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Makes
one - (8 x 8 baking dish)
Author Notes
In my kitchen this is a “must make” spring recipe, seriously, as soon as the Asparagus is ready for harvest!
Adapted from Gourmet, I tweaked to my taste = using vegetable stock in place of chicken for its creamy sauce. I also added mozzarella and a ricotta filling. If I am using freshly made ricotta, I’ve experimented and found that its whey, infused with herbs, makes a wonderful base that can be used in the place of vegetable stock. This recipe is written using the stock because I don’t often plan enough ahead for the fresh ricotta, and its whey, version.
Here is a link to my F52 infused whey recipe in case you’d like try it.
http://food52.com/recipes...
Finally, I love using the no boil lasagna noodles (per Gourmet); some packages say to wet these noodles down before working with them…but I found just letting the dish sit refrigerated for at least an hour after assembling gives the dry noodle enough moisture before baking.
—lapadia
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Ingredients
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1 pound asparagus, trimmed, tips cut off and reserved
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter
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3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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1 cup vegetable stock plus 1/4 cup water OR 1-1/4 cup infused whey
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4 ounces mild goat cheese
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1-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
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1/4 cup flat leaf parsley – finely chopped
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Fresh grated zest from one lemon
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1/2 cup micro-plane grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup extra for garnish
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8 Mozzarella sheets
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6 (7 by 6 1/4-inch) sheets instant (no-boil) lasagna
Directions
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ROAST ASPARAGUS: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the tips off the asparagus stalks and reserve for topping the lasagna. Coat a roasting pan with olive oil, add the asparagus stalks - toss to coat all sides. Roast for 10 minutes. Cool and cut into bite size pieces.
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Combine the ricotta cheese, parsley, lemon zest and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese – set aside until needed.
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In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour, stir and cook over a moderately low heat for 3 minutes.
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Add the broth in a slow stream, whisking. Simmer for 5 minutes. And then, whisk in the goat cheese until the sauce is smooth.
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Arrange 2 sheets of pasta in an oiled 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the pasta sheets and top with 3/4 cup ricotta mixture. Top the ricotta with 1/2 of the roasted asparagus stalks and finish with 4 mozzarella sheets.
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Add a second layer of the same - 2 pasta sheets, 1/3 portion sauce, the rest of the ricotta, rest of the asparagus stalks and 4 mozzarella sheets.
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Layer on the last 2 sheets of the pasta, add the remaining sauce and arrange the reserved asparagus tips over the top.
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Let the assembled dish sit covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Garnish with 1/4 cup parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
Let it stand for 20 minutes before serving.
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SPECIAL NOTE: The recipe in Gourmet tops their lasagna with whipped heavy cream before arranging the asparagus tips, adding the parmesan and then baking; I tried it their way the first time around, it is rich and delicious, but found my additions of a ricotta filling and mozzarella to be just as rich and satisfying.
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