Ham & Asparagus Lasagna

It has been so long since I've been able to sit down and actually post something to my blog.  I have been cooking quite a bit but it juset seems like time has been passing by extremely fast.  After I finish cooking and cleaning up the kitchen, I sit down and chill out for a minute and it's time to go to bed.  Thank goodness for 3 day weekends; I actually have time to sit down and update everything.  This recipe is for ham and asparagus lasagna.  I came across this recipe in Everyday With Rachael Ray.  When I first told my hubby about this recipe that I came across he was pretty skeptical; but I guess if your the type of person that hears lasagna and thinks traditional is the only way to go then it is pretty easy to be skeptical.  After I finally got him warmed up to the idea I got all the ingredients and decided to give it a try.  It was a super easy and quick recipe.  It's one of those that is great for a night where you don't have a lot of time to get something together but you still want to eat at home.  If you don't like ham or prefer a lighter meat I'm sure turkey would work just fine.  I'm a pretty big turkey fan myself but I stuck with ham for this particular recipe and it turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

1 Pound asparagus, cut into 1 in pieces

1 Pound lasagna noodles
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Small onion, finely chopped
1/3 Cup flour
4 1/2 Cups milk
1 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Cup grated colby and monteray jack mix cheese
1 Teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Pound deli sliced baked ham, cut into 1/2 ribbons

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus to a strainer. Return the water to a boil, add the lasagna and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the parmesan and half of the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.

                                                        

Spread about 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer 4 noodles on the sauce and top with 3/4 cup cheese sauce. Sprinkle a quarter of the ham, a quarter of the asparagus, and 3 tablespoons of the remaining cheese over the sauce. Repeat the layering process three more times. Top with the remaining noodles, cheese sauce, cheese and nutmeg. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

   

Recipe Source: adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray