Lasagna with Lamb and Peas

By GratefulSea

Should I wait until Spring to try this intriguing recipe, or just head down to the southern hemisphere? Credit for the recipe and photo belongs to Stephanie and her "I Am a Food Blog" food blog. I may sub spinach for the arugula, just because spinach is a natural match for lamb on our table. I also think I'll cut that red pepper down to 1/4 tsp.

Ingredients

• LAMB FILLING
• Oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1-1/2 cup peas
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• CHEESE SAUCE
• 2 Tablespoons butter or Smart Balance
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• LASAGNA
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 15 no-bake lasagna noodles
• zest of 2 lemons
• Parmesan, to taste

Details

Adapted from iamafoodblog.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Make your lamb sauce: Add a touch of oil to a large skillet and cook onions and celery over medium high heat until soft and translucent. Add the red pepper and stir. Add the lamb and cook, breaking into pieces and cooking until deeply browned. If there’s an excessive amount of fat rendered out, remove from the pan before adding in the peas, red pepper flakes and chicken broth. Simmer over low heat until stock is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from the heat and set aside.

Make your cheese sauce: Over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes, until smooth. Pour in half of the milk in a thin stream while whisking. When smooth, add the rest of the milk. Keep on medium heat and stir for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the cheeses and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble your lasagna: In an oven-proof casserole dish (I used a 13 x 11 inch), spread out a generous amount of the lamb mixture, top with a layer of no-bake lasagaa noodles (break the noodles to fit if needed), then cheese sauce. Sprinkle with flat leaf parsley, mint, arugula and lemon zest. Repeat until you have used up all of the noodles, sauce and cheese, ending with a cheese layer. Sprinkle on a bit of parmesan and bake, covered tightly with tinfoil for 40 minutes, then uncovered at 375°F for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!

Note: You can certainly use regular lasagna noodles. Make sure to skip out on adding the broth to the lamb filling and bake the lasagna uncovered at 375°F for 30 minutes or until cheese is browned and crispy.