July Recipe: Sausage, chard, and lemon lasagna

image via Martha Stewart.com

Sounds weird right? Thats kind of how I felt about it until I made it.  So I've had swiss chard tons of times, steamed, sautéed, but when I think about it I dont think I had ever had it cooked in a dish. That was a huge reason I wanted to try this recipe.  Im kinda famous for my lasagnas (kidding) and would never think about making one in the summer time, especially not on a 90' day.  This lasagna called for no cook noodles, which I had never used, but assumed would cut down on prep time tremendously, and something about the lemon made it sound light and fresh.  So I gave it a whirl, and it was incredible!  I don't even know how to describe it? When I sat it down in front of Brad and told him what it was he had that look of "okay (puzzlement)" and the moment he took the first bite and proclaimed, "WOW", it was a hit! Try it, it is a surprising delight and I can't wait to make it again and again!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 5 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 1 bunch)
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 lemon, very thinly sliced
• 6 no-boil lasagna noodles, preferably Barilla

Directions

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in chard.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage in a skillet over high heat, breaking up pieces, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
3. Cover lemon slices with cold water by 3 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.
4. Spread 1/4 cup sauce in an 8-inch square nonreactive baking dish. Top with 2 noodles, half the sausage, and 1 cup sauce. Repeat. Top with a layer of lemons, 2 noodles, then remaining sauce and lemons. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, for 27 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Heat broiler. Uncover lasagna; top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.
   Recipe via Martha Stewart