Recipe: Clam and Mushroom Lasagna

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-07-18
From: recipelink.com

Clam and Mushroom Lasagna
From: Valierran
Newsgroup: rec.food.recipes
Date: 7-7-98

Had this last night, and it was wonderful...
Tweaks listed alongside ingredients...

1 med onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 6, we like garlic)
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced, (4 cups)
3 (6 1/2 oz) can chopped clams, undrained (Used 2 6 1/2 and 1 - 10 oz)
1 (12 oz) can evaporated skim milk
2 tbsp corn oil margarine
3 tbsp all-purpose flour.. (Added more at end, cause the extra clam juice needed more thickening)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (MORE)
3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed (more, and I used Greek oregano, with the flowers on the vine)
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lb lasagna noodles, cooked al dente.. (I used the oven ready kind, no advance cooking)
1 (15 oz) carton fat free ricotta cheese
8 oz shredded, part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh, whole-wheat bread crumbs (I used the Vigo canned white, and 1/4 cup, I also added a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkling of Cavender's mixed with a small sprinkle of cayenne)

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the onion and garlic in lg, nonstick skillet and cook over med lo heat, until the onion is translucent. Add a little water, if necessary to prevent scorching. (I did add a bit of olive oil at this point). Add the mushrooms and cook them until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Drain the clams, reserving the liquid. Set them aside. Combine the clam juice and the milk and heat until bubble appear around the edge, either in a microwave oven or on the top of the stove. Melt the margarine in a 2 3 quart saucepan over med-lo heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the hot clam juice and milk mixture all at once, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Bring to a boil over med-lo heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the pepper oregano, and thyme and mix well. (I added some Cavender's, of course, at this point). Stir in the reserved clams and the parsley and set aside.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 1/2 mushroom mix evenly over bottom of dish. Cover with a layer of cooked lasagna noodles (5 oven ready ones). Top the noodles with all the ricotta cheese and 1/3 of the clams. Add a second layer of noodles. Spread the remaining mushroom mix over the noodles. Cover with 1/2 the remaining clams. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Top with the remaining noodles, clams and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake, uncovered in the preheated oven until bubbling and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting.