White Skillet Lasagna With Leeks

[Celerity]

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/759520190-white-skillet-lasagna

https://archive.ph/n7NqN



From stovetop to oven, this vegetable lasagna comes together quickly compared to a classic meat and tomato version and serves a smaller, more intimate group. While the lasagna sheets are boiling, make the streamlined vegetable filling: Sauté leeks, garlic and thyme in butter before tossing the fragrant mixture with béchamel sauce and some smoked mozzarella. Layered together in a skillet, the lasagna bakes up creamy and smoky, with crisp golden edges. A comforting meal on its own, it doesn’t need any side dishes, but a simple green salad would pair with it well.



Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt and cook the lasagna sheets until al dente, then drain. If the pasta is done before you’re ready to use it, lightly drizzle with olive oil so the sheets don’t stick together.

Step 2
Meanwhile melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the leeks, garlic and 1½ teaspoons thyme and cook, using tongs to toss and turn the leeks, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. (At first the pan will be very full, but the leeks will shrink quickly.) Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 3
Make the béchamel: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium-low, then whisk in the flour until smooth, about 1 minute. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the milk in a thin stream and whisk until it’s incorporated and the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Turn off heat, then pour béchamel over the leeks. Add about three-fourths of the cheese, mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Step 4
Lay three lasagna sheets on the bottom of the skillet (if they hang over the edge of the skillet that’s OK), then spread a third of the leek mixture over. Arrange another three lasagna sheets so they form a cross with the first layer of pasta. Repeat layering the leek mixture and lasagna twice more, ending with lasagna sheets as the top layer.

Step 5
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Bake lasagna until it’s bubbling, the edges are golden brown and the cheese has melted, 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and top with the remaining ½ teaspoon of thyme leaves and some fresh parsley, if using, before cutting and serving.

Tip
To clean the leeks, toss the sliced leeks into a big bowl of cold water and give them a good swish to rinse out any dirt. Scoop them out, repeating once more with fresh water if necessary. Drain in a colander, then gently pat dry with a clean towel.

[democrank]

1. This recipe looks delicious.

Comfort food in cast iron….perfect! Thanks for posting this.