It ended up being Meatless Monday anyway! Asparagus Lasagna

I had a different plan for tonight's dinner but maybe my subconscious had other plans.  It was soooo delicious.  I will forgive myself.  This dish was inspired by my favorite dish at Seva' vegetarian restaurant in Ann Arbor.  Since asparagus is seasonal, I always looked forward to going there for my birthday dinner and ordering their Asparagus Lasagna.  The last time I went there for my birthday, it wasn't on the menu.  I remember studying the menu and came up with my own version.

I decided that since it included a Bechame'l sauce, I would use the one that starts my mom's homemade mac and cheese.  I sauteed asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces and added 4 oz. of fresh mushrooms this time which the kid's picked out with surgeon precision.

Method:
1.Boil water and cook 6 lasagna noodles according to instructions.  I used Dreamfield's Healthy Carb Living brand this time.  I salted the water while it was boiling and then set it aside while I prepared the sauce and asparagus.  This kept them pliable.
2.Sautee' asparagus in pan with 1 TBSP olive oil.  Add mushrooms after 2-3 minutes, if using.  Add salt and pepper to the veggies.  Just eyeball it.

Bechame'l Sauce-
ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups warm milk (I used skim milk)
dash pepper
1/2 tsp or more of hot pepper sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half (I used half and half, you can use any milk you have on hand)
12 oz. cheddar cheese- 3 cups divided.  (I used New Zealand Grass fed Sharp Cheddar from Trader Joes.  It was only $3.79 for 11 oz.)
directions:
In sauce pan on low heat melt butter, add flour and stir for 3 minutes.  Gradually, stir in warm milk.  Turn up heat, stir until sauce is just boiling.  Turn heat down, let simmer for a few minutes.  Add pepper and hot sauce.  Stir in cream, simmer.  Stir 2 cups of the cheese in until melted. 
Drain noodles, spray Pam or another non-stick cooking spray in dish.  Lay 3 noodles across the bottom.  Pour veggies on top and spread them evenly.  Top with 1/2 of the bechame'l sauce.  Put the last 3 noodles on top and top with the rest of the bechame'l sauce and the other cup of shredded cheese.
Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes.  Since everything is cooked, you could go shorter.  I put it on broil for about 5 minutes, watching very carefully and let the top cheese get golden.  Yum!

Okay, Chris and I loved this!  Maura ate all of hers except the mushrooms and Nolan said he liked it but got full.  I am so glad that I came up with this.  It really does hit the spot and is a filling alternative to traditional lasagna.  And the best thing is there are leftovers for lunch.
Also, I figured out WW points for this when I first made it.  IF you use all skim milk it will be about 45 WW points for the entire pan.  We had 7 squares for dinner.  There are 8 squares left so it worked out to 3 WW points per square!