GREEN LASAGNE WITH STRACCHINO, ARTICHOKES AND SAUSAGE

When I think of comfort food, the first image that comes to my mind is a plate full of lasagne… no matter how they are made (with a classic beef sauce, with pesto or with any other ingredients), lasagne represent comfort food to me (and the majority of Italians).  They are easily going to be on the Christmas lunch menu in many Italian households!  Today I am going to share with you a somewhat unusual recipe for lasagne.  I had some green lasagne sheets in my freezer and sausage and stracchino in my fridge that needed to be used up fast!  I remembered making something similar a few years ago and liking it, so I took my chances and whipped up these lasagne made with a stracchino béchamel sauce, artichokes and sausage.  They were divine, no kidding, and like all experiments that end up well, they needed to be shared!  So, here you have the recipe!  Enjoy!

0 from 0 votes

Print

Green Lasagne with Stracchino, Artichokes and Sausage

How to make Green Lasagne with Stracchino, Artichokes and Sausage, a delicious main dish for any special occasion!

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

• Green lasagne sheets made with half dose of my recipe for Green pasta dough
• 600 ml – 20 oz. bechamel made with 600 ml – 20 oz. milk, 60 gms – 2 oz. butter and 60 gms flour – 2 oz. - you can find my recipe here
• 300 gms – 10 oz. stracchino roughly chopped
• 3 artichokes sliced
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 300 gms – 10 oz. pork skin removed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 shot Brandy not in the picture
• 100 gms – 3.5 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Clean and slice the artichokes. Put the chopped onion in a pot with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add the sliced artichokes, a couple of tablespoons of water, salt and pepper. Cover and let it cook on a slow fire until soft. Make it into a cream with a hand mixer and keep aside (keep a few slices to use for decoration).
   
2. Remove the skin from the sausage and cut it in small pieces. Put the clove of garlic in a frying pan with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and sauté it for a minute or two. Add the sausage and brown it well, breaking all the lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the shot of Brandy, increase the flame and let the alcohol evaporate. Reduce the flame, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a few minutes until the sausage is ready.
   
3. Prepare the lasagne sheets as per my instructions on How to make green egg pasta dough and How to make lasagne sheets.
4. Prepare the béchamel sauce as per my tutorial. When ready, add the stracchino pieces to it and let the cheese melt.
5. Now add the cream of artichokes to the cheesy béchamel and mix well. Keep it aside.
   
6. When ready to assemble put a large pot with salty water on the fire and bring to a boil.
7. Cook the pasta sheets in it for 1 minute. Do this in batches (I use a shallow but large pot and I cook them in 1 layer, so I am sure they do not stick together).
8. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them on a clean tea towel to cool down. (I forgot to take a picture, so I uploaded a picture from my Baked Lasagne post, that’s why the lasagne sheets are not green.)
   
9. Now you are all set to start assembling your lasagne. Start with a layer of cheesy béchamel and artichoke sauce at the bottom of an oven proof dish. Add a layer of cooled pasta sheets, making sure not to overlap them. Now cover them with a layer of cheesy béchamel and artichoke sauce, some sausage and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Do this until you run out of pasta. On the last layer (the top most layer), also add the slices of artichokes you had reserved.
   
10. Cook the lasagne in a pre heated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 20 minutes, then grill for 5 to 10 minutes until the top gets golden brown. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

You can assemble your lasagne the day before you serve them. Store them in the fridge and remember to take them out a few hours before baking them (you have to bring them back to room temperature) to make sure they do not remain cold on the inside even after they are baked.