Individual Swiss Chard(or other Greens) Lasagna with sausage
This recipe you can use other hearty greens such as kale, beet greens or a combination. Get creative and add a little arugula or radicchio!
For the filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 14 lbs sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled.
3 shallots peeled and coursely chopped
3 lbs Swiss Chard, stems removed, leaves cut into 1/4 inch strips (or equivalent greens combination)
3 large garlic cloves sliced thin
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon course salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the bechamel sauce
5 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons course salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup flour
4 1/2 cups whole milk
prepared Lasagna noodles cut into 4 inch squares
8 ounces fontina cheese, grated (1 cup)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make the filling: Heat oil in a large fry pan on medium-high heat. Add sausage, and cook stirring, until brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes. transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium, and add shallots to pan drippings. Cook stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add chard, and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, lemon zest, salt and season with pepper. Cook stirring often until chard(or greens of choice) wilts completely, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Transfer to a colander to drain.
3. Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, salt, and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring occassionally, until onion are slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until blended. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently and often, until thickened and creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Place 8 individual baking dishes about 7" across and 1 1/2" deep on a baking sheet. Spread 3 tablespoons of bechamel sauce in each dish, and top with a noodle. Spread 3 tablespoons of chard mixture evenly in each dish, then divide the sausage mixture among dishes (about 1/4 cup each). Top each dish with 2 tablespoons bechamel, then a noodle. Repeat once with chard, sausage, bechamel, and another noodle. Top each with 2 tablespoons of bechamel. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of fontina cheese.
5. Bake until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
