I aspire to be Giada.

It's true. Giada de Laurentiis is probably as close to perfect as a human being can get. She's gorgeous, has an attractive husband and awesome daughter, can cook up a storm, and doesn't break a sweat during any of it. I figure if I keep making Italian food, I'll eventually become Giada. 


Italian is probably my favorite to both cook and eat. There are so many different flavors and combinations to try, and Italian cooking always brings about a family vibe to the table. So, here's my stab at reinventing a classic family dish.


The Meal: Lasagna with Sausage and Bechamel Sauce

I've actually been making lasagna this way for a while now. I'm not a big fan of traditional lasagna, mainly because of the texture of ricotta cheese. Just a personal preference. I've tried different combinations of cheese, veggies and meats with this particular recipe, and this is my favorite so far.


I used to just call this "Lasagna with White Sauce." But, I was watching "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell (whom I also ADORE) and she used the term bechamel for this sauce. It's a basic white sauce with cheese. I think bechamel sounds better; don't you?


The Ingredients: 1 lb. Italian sausage (sweet or hot)
                               Olive oil
                               1 large red onion, diced
                               1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
                               1 large yellow zucchini squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
                               3 cloves garlic, minced
                               Generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
                               1/2 tbsp. rosemary
                               Salt and pepper, to taste
                               5 tbsp. unsalted butter
                               5 tbsp. flour
                               4 cups skim milk
                               1 tsp. ground mustard
                               1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
                               1 tsp. ground black pepper
                               1 cup aged asiago cheese, grated
                               1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
                               1 cup grated mozzarella
                               1 box lasagna noodles
                               1 cup fresh baby spinach
                               1/2 cup breadcrumbs
                               2 tbsp. melted butter

I went to Touch of Italy yesterday for some of the ingredients. That place is what I imagine my heaven will look like. A huge case of gourmet cheeses, fresh baked bread, delicious desserts, and fresh Italian sausages. I've never purchased fresh sausage before, but I'll never go back to buying from the grocery store. The difference is very noticeable. I bought a combo of sweet and hot, just in case the hot sausages overpowered the other flavors in the lasagna.


The Directions: Preheat a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Remove the sausages from their casing (discard the casing) and put the sausage in the skillet. Break up with a spatula or wooden spoon, the same you would do with ground beef or turkey.

Cook until just brown. It's going to cook more in the oven, so you don't want it to dry out.

Remove sausage from the skillet and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain some of the liquid in the skillet, but not all. Add onions and some salt and pepper. Cook until the onions just begin to soften, about 5 minutes on medium heat. They will pick up the color (and flavor) of the sausage.

Add the zucchini, squash, garlic, rosemary and a little more salt and pepper. Cook an additional 5-8 minutes, until onions have browned and the zucchini and squash and nearly cooked through.

Remove skillet from heat and toss in the chopped parsley.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. This is a roux that will thicken the bechamel. Once whisked together, whisk in the milk at a medium-high heat and add the mustard, pepper and nutmeg. I used skim milk here because there's a lot of cheese, so why not cut out some fat where you can? I can never really tell the difference when things are cooked with skim vs. whole milk anyway. Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has reduced slightly and is thick.

Remove from heat and add all but about 1/2 cup of the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and well combined.

Now, before we start the actual assembly of the lasagna, I have a confession to make. I took a shortcut and used oven-ready lasagna noodles. SSSHHHHH, don't tell! I've never been able to find whole wheat lasagna noodles, so what's the point in taking the extra step to cook the regular noodles when the oven-ready ones taste just the same? Exactly.


So, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with a non-stick spray. Spread a thin layer of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles.

Spread an even layer of the spinach on top of the noodles. Add 1/2 of the sauteed onion and zucchini mixture.

Add 1/2 of the sausage on top of the veggies. Spoon about 1/3 of the bechamel sauce evenly on top. 

Repeat this whole process for the second layer. Top with a final layer of pasta and the rest of the bechamel sauce.


Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining shredded cheese. Spread evenly on the top. Drizzle the 2 tbsp. melted butter on the top - this gives it a nice crunchy topping. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown. You might want to put a baking sheet under the casserole dish (as I did) because it is VERY full. It didn't bubble over much, but there is a distinct possibility of having to clean the oven if you don't take this precautionary measure.

Serve it up restaurant style in heaping portions. I guarantee they'll still go back for more. The Finer Things Club sure did.