BritoMom's White Lasagna

So, val & I were on the phone talking about white lasagna. I realized, with utter horror, that I'd never posted this marvelous, marvelous recipe. Very easy to make. Though mushrooms are a main ingredient, anti-mushroom folks have marveled. Oh! And the cottage cheese is crucial. I tried it with ricotta once and it was all kinds of wrong.

I've played with this over the years. If you're in a garlicky sort of mood, you can abuse the quantity of garlic in it. Chicken and veal are both lovely additions. Playing with different mushrooms works, though I like it best if other varieties (baby bellas are awfully nice) are mixed with the standard button mushroom.

lasagna base

• 8 oz lasagna noodles
• 1 ½ lbs small curd cottage cheese
• 16 oz grated mozzarella
• 4 oz shredded parmesan (Using parmigiano reggiano is especially worth it in this dish. Well, I'm rather fantatically obsessed with this type of parmesan that cheese & think it's always worth it. So, if you haven't tried it, try it. Seriously. You can just nibble on it alone! Especially if you have a nice red wine to sip along with it.)

creamed mushrooms

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 lb mushrooms washed & sliced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced finely
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup flour
• ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley

Sauté mushrooms in butter & lemon juice until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add flour and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Add milk and parsley, stir frequently until nicely thickened.

In a greased 13x9x2 pan, layer noodles, cottage cheese, creamed mushrooms, mozzarella & parmesan.