Ingredients
6 ounces oven-ready or regular lasagna noodles
Filling
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Crawfish
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup chopped onion, 1 medium onion
1/2 cup sliced celery, 2 celery stalks
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1/2 large pepper
7 ounces stewed tomatoes, half can
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 pound raw crawfish, fat included
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more
1/4 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning, or more
Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, packed
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, packed
Garnish
Breadcrumbs
Shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8"x11" or 9"x9" deep dish pan with cooking spray.
Lasagna noodles
Cook according to package or soak in very hot water for 20 minutes in a shallow oblong pan, drain.
Filling
Mix all filling ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Crawfish
Heat butter and oil until butter is melted.
Cook onion, celery, pepper, and tomatoes for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add garlic in the last few minutes of cooking.
Add crawfish and cook for 20 minutes, covered, occasionally stirring on medium to low heat.
Sauce
Melt butter in a saucepan and saute' the garlic until it is aromatic.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add milk and cook until it starts to thicken.
Add cheeses and stir until they are melted into the sauce; turn off the heat and set aside.
Assembling
Spread a little of the sauce in the casserole dish.
Add half of the noodles, then spread half of the cheese filling on top.
Spoon half of the crawfish on top of the cheese filling, then layer with the other half of the noodles.
Spread the other half of the cheese filling, then the rest of the crawfish on top.
Lastly, pour the sauce over the lasagna spreading to cover.
Garnish with breadcrumbs and more shredded parmesan cheese
Baking
Bake for 45 minutes covered with foil, then 10 minutes uncovered.
Let lasagna sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Soaking the lasagna in very hot water for 20 minutes tenderizes the noodles to al dente, then they finish cooking during the baking of the casserole.
You can also use oven-ready lasagna pasta; I usually soak these to ensure they cook all the way during baking, also.
This recipe doubles easily baked in a 9'x13' deep dish pan.
You can also prepare the lasagna ahead of time to bake or refrigerate or even freeze it, and then defrost when you are ready to bake and serve.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Cajun
