Mushroom White Sauce Lasagna

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use ½ tablespoon of black truffle butter to grease an 8” square casserole or brownie pan, set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1½ tablespoons of black truffle butter. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, sauté about 2 minutes more. Add mushrooms, turning to coat; season with salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms have expelled their water and are deeply golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme and sage; add wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the wine has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Boil a large pot of generously salted water and blanch the lasagna noodles, about 30 seconds each. Place the blanched noodles in a single layer on a clean tea towel to drain.
4. Make the béchamel: in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of truffle butter. Add flour and cook, whisking, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly. Lower the heat to medium and cook the béchamel until thickened, about 6-7 minutes.
5. Assemble the lasagna: place 2 of the noodles in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, spread ⅓ of the ricotta evenly over the noodles; season with pepper. Spread ⅓ of the mushroom mixture over the noodles. Spread ¼ of the béchamel over the mushroom mixture and sprinkle evenly with ¼ of the Fontina and parmesan cheeses. Place 2 more noodles on top. Repeat this twice. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheeses over the top of the lasagna. Spread the remaining ¼ of béchamel sauce and grated cheeses over the top of the lasagna.
6. Place pan in the oven and cook until noodles are completely cooked and lasagna is bubbly and browned about 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe notes: If you can’t find fresh lasagna noodles and don’t want to make your own, you can use dried lasagna noodles. Just make sure to pre-cook them according to the directions on the box. If you use dried noodles, the lasagna may have a little more liquid. (Fresh and handmade pasta will absorb a little more sauce during the baking process.) One way to remedy this is to cook the lasagna ahead of time, let cool completely then reheat in the oven. This lasagna makes a great meatless main course with a salad but can also be cut into 6 smaller portions and served as a side dish or pasta mid-course.