French Lasagna Mardi Soir - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the bechamel
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
freshly ground nutmeg
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups milk
For the meat sauce
1/2 lb fresh mild Italian sausage, casing removed (loose)
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de provence, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can peeled tomatoes, undrained (pureed in a blender or food processor)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
For the lasagna
6 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups comte cheese (or a combination about 6 ounces) or 1 1/2 cups emmenthaler cheese, shredded (or a combination about 6 ounces)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
For the Bechamel: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, a few gratings of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to make a smooth paste. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Do not allow the flour mixture to brown. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, until thick and bubbly; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the Meat Sauce: Cook the meat and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up the meat into small pieces, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain off all of the fat from the pan. Add the garlic, herbes de Provence and the red pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine. Bring to a boil and boil until nearly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cook at an active simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Finishing the Dish: Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 8\" square baking dish (you won't cover the entire surface) Top with 2 sheets of lasagna noodles, side by side. Top with 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce (spreading to cover the noodles as best you can) and then 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Top with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layers (starting with the noodles) twice.
Bake, uncovered, until the lasagna is bubbly and the top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes, covering loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes if the top browns too much. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into four pieces to serve.