Mac-n-Cheese Lasagna

Who doesn’t love lasagna? Who doesn’t love Mac-n-Cheese? Put the two together….can you say Heaven? I made this specially for my husband last weekend. He just came back from China and I thought that some good american comfort food was the way to go. I found bunch of recipes for both and used them as an inspiration to create this one. I used no-boil lasagna noodles, which was super easy and no pre-boiling required. I added apple smoked bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, peas and 3 different cheeses. So many layers of flavor… it was delicious! My taste buds are getting excited just writing about it! This is a dish that you can easily adjust to your taste. For a healthier version, you can go with turkey bacon instead of the regular kind ( but I would tell you that the apple smoke bacon really makes a difference!), low-fat cheese and olive oil instead of butter, its up to you. I hope you enjoy this recipe from my kitchen to yours!

Ingredients:

For the lasagna:

• 5-10 no-boil lasagna noodles ( I used Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles)
• 4 pieces bacon
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese+ 1/2 cup
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs
• fresh herbs for topping

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste ( please note that bacon and cheese are salty, so i am using little salt in my sauce but you can adjust to taste)
• 2 cups milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Make the sauce: Place a large pot over medium heat, and add the butter in. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant – stir continuously to avoid burning because burnt garlic will taste bitter. Add the flour, poultry seasoning, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to combine to form the “roux”, or thickener for the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk, one cup at a time, whisking after each addition and allowing it to thicken slightly each time before adding the next cup. When the sauce is smooth and thick, turn the heat off. Whisk lemon juice and cheddar cheese. Cover and keep it warm until ready to use.
2. Layer the lasagna: Grease a 8×8 pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the bottom of the pan with about 2-3 broken lasagna noodles, half of the peas, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, and cheese, 1/4 cup water, and 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat this layer once more. Top with a layer of broken noodles, 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sauce, and ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Note: I used 9 lasagna noodles for this dish.
3. Remove the foil, sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese if desired, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh herbs like parsley and thyme. Let stand 10 minutes or more before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

This will be my entry for Fiesta Friday this week!