First, I wish you all a very Happy National Lasagna Day!!! What fun that there is a day dedicated to the wonderful Italian dish! Ok, so what better way to honor the day then to make this weeks Meatless Monday a celebration of lasagna, with my own twist of course! Rather then a traditional lasagna made with tomato sauce, ricotta and mozzarella… I decided to give the lasagna a makeover! I came up with this really delicious creamy portabella sauce to layer between lasagna noodles and shredded mozzarella- My Lasagna with Creamy Portabello Sauce.

2 medium shallots, diced

2 Tbsp olive oil

 3Tbsp unsalted butter

3 large garlic cloves, sliced

6-7 portabello mushroom caps, cut in half then sliced

5 or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems

2 Tbsp flour

4 cups vegetable broth

1 container or 8.8 oz marscapone cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 lb lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Oven at 375 degrees.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the oil and butter. Once the butter is melted add in the garlic, shallots and thyme leaves. Cook until the shallots are softened. Add the mushrooms and allow them to cook down and a lot of the moisture from the mushrooms is cooked off, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the flour in and stir just to coat the mushrooms. Add in the flour and stir for a couple of minutes to incorporate the broth. Allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium low, until the sauce is slightly thickened. At this point you might be thinking this looks like a very dark brown soupy mess but trust me it comes together wonderfully!

Turn the heat down to low and add in the marscapone cheese, stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Once it is all incorporated allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat.

Time to layer! In a large baking pan add enough sauce just to coat the bottom so the noodles do not stick. Add a layer of noodles, sauce then mozzarella cheese. Continue until all the noodles and sauce are used then sprinkle the top with the grated cheese. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is lightly browned.

loaf of Italian bread

3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

garlic and herb seasoning

fresh parsley, chopped

Slice the loaf of bread in half, brush both sides with the butter. Sprinkle the bottom half pretty heavily with your favorite garlic and herb seasoning, I use Garlic Garlic by tastefully simple. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and place in the oven for about 10 minutes.

 I hope you all enjoy this Lasagna with Creamy Portabello Sauce as much as we do!