Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

It was cool out today, rained and it's been a rough week.  I thought some comforting lasagna would be a good thing to make.  I love it but rarely make it since it's not good health wise.  The only thing "light" I bought was the mozzarella cheese.  I hoped it melted okay since it was half the fat... The lasagna noodles had eggs in them too, so this was going to be a nightmare for my cholesterol.   And go figure, by the time  I was going home from work, the sun was back out and it was boiling hot again.  I used:

• 1 lb of extra lean ground beef
• 9 Trader Joe's lasagna noodles - no boil (my 13" x 9" pan fit 3 noodles per layer, sideways)
• 1 package of Johnsonville Italian sausages with basil, removed from casing and broken up (this made a lot of fat in the sauce, next time I would make a day ahead, cool in fridge and the remove the fat)
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 200 grams of white mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme, tied with twine
• 1 can (28oz) of no salt diced Italian tomatoes
• 2 cups no salt strained tomatoes
• 1 can of no salt tomato paste
• 3/4 lb of light mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 tub (500 grams) of ricotta cheese
• 1 package of frozen spinach (350 grams), thawed and squeezed of excess water
• Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
• Kraft Parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce:

• 3 cups of 2% milk
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 1/3 cup of unsalted butter
• Fresh grated nutmeg (on microplane)

I started by sauteing the onion, red pepper and garlic, then added the beef and sausage.  

When browned, I added the tomato paste and stirred and cooked it for a couple of minutes.  I added the tomatoes, sauce, mushrooms and herbs.  

I seasoned with freshly cracked pepper and just a pinch of salt.  I covered and simmered for an hour.  While that was slowly bubbling away, I put the spinach between two side plates and squished out as much water as possible.  

Then I put it in a tea towel and wrapped it, twisting it up tight to squeeze out more.  I preheated the oven to 350°F.  I made the bechamel sauce.  I just heated the flour and butter and when cooked a bit and was all combined, I added the milk.  

I grated in the nutmeg.  I whisked until it came to a boil and then it was done.  It came out nice and thick and creamy.  

It was time to assemble.  I put sauce down, bechamel and then the first layer of noodles.  

I repeated, but I added some grated mozza and then a layer of noodles.  Next layer I did the sauces and then the ricotta and spinach, then sprinkled with some Parmesan.  

Last layer was noodles, sauce, bechamel and Parmesan.  

I  covered with foil and baked on foil lined baking sheet for 40 minutes.  Good idea, because it bubbled over.  I had leftover bechamel and spaghetti sauce.  Before I started, I did try and use a bigger pan but the noodles wouldn't work with it and I didn't want to overlap them in case they expanded.  I froze the sauce and just threw out the bechamel - such a shame.  When the timer went off, I took off the foil and topped with the mozza.  

It went back in for another 30 minutes, when the cheese browned a little.  The house was smelling really good now, and my stomach started to growl.  

When it came out, I let it rest for 40 minutes before cutting it - it was a long wait since I was now really hungry.  I almost think it's best to let it cool right down and then eat it the next day so it will slice perfectly, but of course, I didn't.  I cut a smallish piece and served it on a side plate.

It was worth the wait!  DELICIOUS!  The Italian sausage flavor really shined as did the bechamel sauce.  It was very rich and filling.  The portion size I had was perfect.  Everything worked well together.  I really loved it.