Lasagna With Asparagus, Leeks & Mushrooms

2 Tbs butter, divided
2 medium leeks (white and light green parts), halved and thinly sliced
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
4 oz fresh morel or shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs all purpose flour
9oz pkg no-cook lasagna noodles
1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1) Melt 1 Tbs butter in large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add leeks; cook until wilted, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Melt remaining Tbs of butter in same skillet. Add asparagus, mushrooms and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; saute until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add to bowl with leeks and toss to distribute evenly. Add broth, cream and bay leaf to same skillet and boil over high heat until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle flour over and whisk to blend. Boil until sauce thickens, about 1 minute, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2) Preheat oven to 350F. Coat four 2-cup shallow oval or round baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray. Break off corners of noodles to fit flatly into dishes. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce into each dish. Place 1 noodle atop sauce. Scatter 1/4 cup vegetable mixture over, spreading in even layer. Drizzle 2 Tbs sauce over. Sprinkle rounded tablespoonful cheese over each. Repeat layering 2 more times with noodles, vegetables, sauce and cheese. Drizzle remaining sauce over lasagnas.
3) Cover each dish tightly with foil. Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake until noodles are tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese begins to brown, about 6 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.

Review:  Argh! My sauce never became much of a sauce. It remained runny and the flour clumped. I've never had such an issue in making sauce like this. I think much of the problem was that I made the sauce in the same skillet and the cooking space may have been too broad. Next time I will definitely make it in a saucepan. But, this was still yummy. I used shiitake mushrooms, as morels are incredibly expensive. I had no idea! And I made this one big lasagna, instead of the two individual servings described in the recipe. This meant I also had to "fluff" it out, so I added shredded mozzarella in a layer with the leeks, while the other layer was asparagus, mushrooms and Parmesan. It worked well!

Adapted from:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lasagna-with-Asparagus-Leeks-and-Morels-358231