Hearty Man-Pleasing Lasagna

Earlier this week my husband requested lasagna.  I haven't made it in a long time because of the time required; plus, the calorie count is not exactly weight-loss friendly.  Since he's been a good sport about Project Real Food I decided yesterday morning to pick up a few things at the grocery store and make a lasagna for dinner.  He just finished his semester at school with two good grades, and I felt like he deserved a little something special.  I figured I'd just sub whole wheat noodles for regular noodles and replace the pork sausage with chicken sausage.  Everything else should work, right?  Ahem...

I realized once I got to the store that my typical lasagna recipe was not going to work.  Have you ever looked at the ingredient list for ricotta cheese?  Ruh roh.  So right there in the aisle at SuperTarget I put my thinking cap on and came up with this.  I served it with homemade garlic popovers, a tossed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and finished it up with a dessert that I'll blog about later.  

Anyway, this was a huge hit!  Such a hit, in fact, that while we were at Costco today I noticed he was lost in thought and when I asked him what was going on he said, "I'm just thinking about having leftover lasagna for lunch...".  Wife of the Year!  Yesssssss!

No, it is not low fat.  No, it is not simple and easy.  It's a special occasion, lazy rainy day kind of recipe.  And I think it's worth every calorie, fat gram, and dirty dish.

This is pre-baked. (ie. pre-cheese on top).  I was so excited about eating this that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  I was also distracted by the raging thunderstorm outside and the wimpy terrier that had taken root on my lap because of said storm.  Oh well...

For the tomato sauce:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage (I used Isernio's chicken sausage)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup red wine
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
handful chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
Dash of nutmeg, to taste
Freshly grated pepper, to taste

For assembling the lasagna
whole wheat lasagna noodles (mine were oven-ready)
freshly grated mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Brown the meat, drain, set aside.  Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender and golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the meat and the wine.  Cook on medium high for a few minutes until the wine reduces a little bit.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook uncovered on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the flavors have melded.  If the sauce gets too thick add a little chicken broth.  About 15 minutes before assembling the lasagna stir in the parsley and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until it sizzles.  Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Simmer over low heat until the mixture is thick and bubbly, 8-10 minutes.

To assemble spread a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Then layer as follows:  pasta, tomato sauce, béchamel, mozzarella.  Finish with pasta, tomato sauce, and béchamel.

Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.  Uncover, top with mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes more until the cheese is melted, the sauce is bubbling, and the noodles are tender. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.