RECIPE: Spinach, Pepper and Sausage Lasagna with Mornay Sauce 

This lasagna packs in a ton of flavor thanks to the Mornay sauce, which melts into every decadent layer. Roasted red peppers add a fruity note, spinach offers garlicky greens and sausage adds in spice and depth. If you’ve never made bechamel, give it a try — it’s easier than you might think to make this “mother sauce” — just whisk butter and flour, stream in milk and sitr to thicken. Once you know how to make bechamel, you can make any number of cream sauces, including Mornay, which is simply bechamel enriched with gruyere.

Cave Vineyards Chardonel

Pair with: Dry, oak-aged Chardonel
I paired this creamy, rich lasagna with a dry, oak-aged Chardonel from Cave Vineyard and Distillery in Missouri. Developed at Cornell AgriTech (New York State Agricultural Experiment Station) in 1953, Chardonel is a cross between Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay grapes. The grape varietal was released in 1990. It is a late ripening white wine grape that produces a high-quality and full-bodied wine and is distinguished by the superior quality of the wine it produces combined with high productivity of the vines. The grape’s cold hardiness is superior to its acclaimed parent, Chardonnay. This wine can be fermented in oak or stainless-steel barrels.

Spinach, Pepper and Sausage Lasagna with Mornay Sauce 

Recipe by: Catherine Neville

Yield: 8 servings

Note: The spinach, peppers and sausage may be cooked and cooled a day or two ahead, and this can easily be made vegetarian by substituting sauteed mushrooms for the sausage. 

  • 2 red bell peppers

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil 

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 lbs. fresh spinach

  • 4 Tbsp. plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

  • 2 links Italian sausage

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 4 cups whole milk

  • ¼ tsp. fresh nutmeg

  • 1 cup shredded gruyere

  • 1 cup (or so) good quality jarred marinara 

  • No-boil lasagne noodles

  • 1 lb. ricotta cheese 

  • 1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided 

  • 2 bunches fresh basil leaves, chiffonade 

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Rub red peppers with a bit of oil and roast on a baking sheet, turning once, until soft and the skin is slightly charred. Remove from oven and place in a bag or container to allow peppers to steam. When cool, slip the skins from the peppers, remove seeds and cut into eighths. 

While the peppers roast, in the same skillet, saute spinach by heating olive oil in a skillet until shimmering. Add minced garlic and then spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool and then chop. Set aside. 

Make the bechamel (the basis of the Mornay sauce) by melting 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes, until the flour begins to smell a little toasty. In a steady stream, add milk, whisking to avoid lumps, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, whisking as the sauce thickens. Season with salt and nutmeg to taste. Remove from heat and cool, then stir in the gruyere. 

Spread 2/3 cup marinara in a 9-inch-by-12-inch baking dish, covering the bottom in a light, even layer. Place lasagne noodles on top of sauce and then add ⅓ of the spinach, peppers and sausage, then ½ to ¾ cup of the bechamel, some Parmigiano-Reggiano, dollops of ricotta and a sprinkling of basil. Then add a layer of noodles. Add another layer in the same manner and top with ½ to ¾ cup bechamel and noodles. Create your last layer with the remaining veggies, sausage, ricotta, Parm and basil, then a layer noodles, then the remaining marinara and the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

Bake until bubbling and golden, then remove to a rack and allow to cool for about 20 minutes, until it can be sliced and hold its shape. 

Catherine Neville