When looking for a recipe that provides comfort, delicious flavor, and is simple to make, not much beats lasagna. The classic dish features layers of rich and savory sauce, tender and toothsome pasta, creamy pockets of pillowy cheese, and various other ingredients, depending on the type. While classic fillings include ground meat like beef or sausage, as well as a smattering of different vegetables, this recipe stars meaty and earthy R&R Cultivation Mushrooms! They’re combined with a variety of other intensely delicious flavors like pancetta, smoked mozzarella, and sage. This dish is as beautiful as it is delicious!
Making Mushroom Lasagna: Selecting Mushrooms
R&R Cultivation has 12 mushroom varieties that vary in flavor and texture. When selecting mushrooms to use in this recipe, opt for those that have a meaty density to them. Since mushrooms are center stage in this recipe, using a medley allows for more complexity in the flavor of the finished dish. Here are the mushrooms featured in this mouthwatering lasagna.
Blue Oyster
The delicate texture of this variety adds softness to the mushroom filling. The contrast that Blue Oysters offer compared to the meatier mushrooms used in this dish offer a hearty and rich bite. Shop Blue Oyster mushrooms online.
Maitake
This popular gourmet varietal is also known as hen-of-the-woods. Their semi-firm texture and woodsy flavor make them a delicious option to serve on their own! Maitakes are used in both the filling as well as on the top of this lasagna. Shop Maitake mushrooms online.
Shiitake
An umami powerhouse, shiitakes are well-loved for their distinct flavor and varying texture. When cooked into the filling of this lasagna, the texture softens, yielding a delicate bite. They’re also roasted to top the lasagna, resulting in a depth of flavor that’s hard to replicate. Shop Shiitake mushrooms online.
Black Pearl
This mushroom is a cross between King Trumpet and Oyster mushrooms. They are dense and meaty, meaning they’ll stand up well when cooked into dishes. Shop Black Pearl mushrooms online.
Brown Beech
Brown Beech mushrooms have that quintessential sharp and savory flavor, making them a superb option to roast, which will coax out even more flavor. Shop Brown Beech mushrooms online.
White Beech
Offering a sweeter and more mild flavor, White Beech Mushrooms are a great option to serve to those who may not prefer the earthiness that can come with many other mushrooms. Featuring thin and small clusters with small white heads, these are beautiful mushrooms to consider for a dish like this (specifically for the topping!). Shop White Beech mushrooms online.
Chestnut
These mushrooms can be compared to the standard button mushrooms, but with the volume turned WAY up. They’re excellent served both raw or cooked, although they crisp up nicely when roasted making them a beautiful addition to the top of this lasagna. Shop Chestnut mushrooms online.
Pioppino
These mushrooms are firm in texture and offer a nice savory nuttiness to the dishes they’re added to. They keep their shape nicely while also delivering incredible flavor. They’re used in both the filling of this lasagna as well as to top it. Shop Pioppino mushrooms online.
Making Mushroom Lasagna: The Sauce
The sauce used in this recipe is creamy and smoky, pairing perfectly with the umami mushroom mixture. It’s thick and decadent, its flavor absorbed into both the lasagna noodles and the mushrooms. The sauce includes just 6 ingredients:
- Butter
- Flour
- Whole Milk
- Smoked Mozzarella
- Sage
- Nutmeg
As the sage steeps in the whole milk, the butter and flour are whisked together over the stovetop, creating a roux which will ultimately thicken the velvety sauce. The smoked mozzarella is melted in next adding richness and depth, while nutmeg adds a touch of warmth and nuttiness.
The Process
Layering the components of this dish is simple, but following the below order of ingredients is key:
- Sauce: Adding a thin layer on the bottom of the pan will allow for the lasagna to absorb all that wonderful flavor.
- Lasagna
- Mushroom Mixture
Once you repeat this process until all the ingredients are gone, you’ll add shredded regular and smoked mozzarella cheeses, creating a gooey top layer.
What makes this dish so impressive is how it’s presented. Additional mushrooms are roasted as the lasagna is finishing cooking, which will ultimately be scattered on the top, a visually pleasing indication of what’s inside. Fresh sage leaves are lightly fried and also top this stunning dish.
Mushroom Lasagna with Smoked Mozzarella Cream Sauce
This Mushroom Lasagna with Smoked Mozzarella Cream Sauce is a delicious and hearty way to sample a number of R&R Cultivation mushrooms. What mushrooms will you use to make this satisfying dish? Be sure to follow and tag R&R Cultivation on social media @rrcultivation if you make any of our recipes!
Recipe by Jamie Preuss
Jamie is the creator of the food and lifestyle blog, So Happy You Liked It, where her goal is to help readers learn to love to cook. She offers balanced recipes, kitchen knowledge, and tips and tricks on her website, So Happy You Liked It.
Ingredients
For the mushroom filling:
- 4 oz pancetta
- 2 lbs assorted mushrooms
For the smoked mozzarella cream sauce:
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups milk, plus more for thinning as needed
- 4 leaves fresh sage
- 1 cup smoked mozzarella, grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly grated nutmeg
To assemble:
- 8 oz oven-ready lasagna
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup smoked mozzarella
- 1 lb assorted mushrooms
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided
- Salt and pepper
- 5-7 sage leaves
Instructions
- Add pancetta to a large saute pan set over medium heat.
- Chop mushrooms roughly, slicing any meatier mushrooms thinly. Add to pan with pancetta and stir to combine. Cover and allow to saute, stirring sporadically to distribute the liquids releasing from the mushrooms.
- Meanwhile, set a saucepan filled with the milk over low heat. Add 4 sage leaves to the mixture, ensuring they're immersed. You're infusing the milk, so be sure to stir the mixture every so often.
- Once mushrooms have softened and released their liquid, remove from the pan and set aside. Be sure they’re fork tender!
- Add 1 stick of butter to the same saute pan, allowing to completely melt. Whisk the butter as you add in 1/2 cup of flour. The mixture will seize up a little, but keep whisking! It should thin out after 2 minutes.
- Add warm milk, 1 cup at a time and whisking constantly, until you have a thin sauce. Add smoked mozzarella, again whisking until it fully melts, followed by the parmesan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and some freshly grated nutmeg (start with a tiny pinch). Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking.
- When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 400º. In a 13 inch baking dish, add enough sauce to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Add lasagne to cover the bottom, followed by half of the mushroom mixture. Top with about 1/2 cup of the sauce - you still have one more layer to go! Repeat with lasagne, mushroom mixture, and sauce until all components are gone.
- Top with smoked and regular mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and lightly golden (you can opt to broil the top at the very end if you'd like more of a golden brown finish).
- In the last 20 minutes of baking, toss the remaining mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Remove from oven with the lasagna and allow to slightly cool.
- Add remaining olive oil to a small saute pan over medium heat. Drop your sage leaves in to lightly fry: the oil will be ready when it starts to sizzle when you drop a sage leaf in. Fry for about 1 minute per side, until lightly crispy but still green.
- Top lasagna with roasted mushrooms and fried sage. Serve warm!
