Sorry for my absence, it’s been 194 degrees in Chicago and I’ve been without desire to eat anything except Black Dog Gelato which, happily, is only about a 30 second walk from me. I’ve also been dog-sitting for Rosie, Chicago’s Friendliest Dog, and it’s hard not to constantly play with her.

Rosalita, Chicago’s Friendliest Dowg.

BUT – I still found time to make a yummy lasagna with no tomato sauce involved – I’m not a huge fan of it and frankly, the only thing tomato-y I crave in the summer is gazpacho….recipe coming soon!

Ingredients:

1 package lasagna noodles (I used Trader Joe’s, oven ready.)
1 cup each: heavy cream and low sodium vegetable stock
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp paprika or cayenne pepper
3 Tbl flour
1/2 cup each romano and parmesan cheese (grated)
10 oz. broccoli, cleaned, boiled and blanched
6-8 oz. kale, cleaned, stemmed, boiled and blanched

Tools:

11 x 8 baking dish
Saucepan
Deep pot (5-6 quarts)
Cutting board
Sharp knife
4-5 quart bowl, filled with ice and water (for blanching)
Measuring cups/spoons
Stirring spoon
Slotted spoon
Whisk

Read the recipe all the way through before you start! Also, ignore the tomatoes. They tried to sneak in.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring about 5-6 quarts of water to a boil. Clean, cut, and boil the broccoli for a couple minutes, then transfer to the ice bath with a slotted spoon. Do this for all of the broccoli and kale until done.

Chop them up finely together, sprinkle a little salt on them. Set aside.

They stay nice, green and crispy when blanched.

Lay the first layer of lasagna noodles into your baking dish (horizontally).

Make the béchamel sauce: in a heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, veggie stock, paprika, salt, and pepper over medium heat. When it’s near boiling, lower the heat and then add the flour one tablespoon at a time until the sauce thickens – make sure to keep whisking! When it’s thick, remove from heat.

Taste it and adjust for flavor.

Start building your lasagna! Add the veggies, cheese, and the enough sauce to cover each layer.

*Sniff sniff* Nomnomnomnomnom

Finish the veggies up, lay the top layer of noodles, and you should have just enough béchamel sauce to pour over the top. Sprinkle some cheese as well.

Stick it in the oven for about 40-50 minutes, and you’ll have a yummy, light lasagna that you’ll finish in about a day. At least I did.

I LOVE it browned on top.