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I got this recipe from that busty Italian Giada De Laurentis, but because of the lack of proscuitto in this town, I adapted it a bit. It’s one of the more complicated recipes I make, as it has several steps. But it’s worth it. It’s really good and it gets better everyday you eat it for leftovers.

For the sauce:
2 Tb. butter
4 tsp. flour
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (freshly ground is nice)
salt and pepper to taste

For the stuffing:
1 16oz. container ricotta cheese
1/2 freshly grated parmesean cheese
1 bunch spinach, boiled and drained (or you can buy frozen, defrost and drain too) about 1 cup
2 small cans lump crab meat
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
(I think a couple dashes of hot sauce would be perfectly reasonable here)

For the pasta:
10 lasgna noodles
Enough rolling boiling water to sufficiently cover the noodles (I do mine in batches of 5 at a time)
1 cup marinara, any good jarred stuff will do
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella
1/4 shredded parmesean

Ok, first preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Get a large stock pot going with a good amount of water. Then, make the stuffing. Mix all stuffing ingredients in a large bowl. Drop the noodles in the water when it comes to a boil and after you’ve seasoned it liberally with salt.

Then make the bechemel by melting the butter in a saucepan. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk for a minute to cook the raw flour taste out. Then add the milk and whisk the whole time to prevent clumps. Keep whisking for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened and can coat the back of a spoon. Season with s & p and nutmeg. Take off heat.

As the lasagna noodles are ready, take them out of the water and onto a baking sheet drizzled with a little olive oil so they don’t stick. Cook the next batch of noodles. When all the noodles are done, pour a 1/2 cup of the bechemel in the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish. Spoon one 1 tablespoon of the stuffing mixture onto the end of one noodle and roll the noodle up like a package. Place the roll on top of the bechemel in the baking dish. Roll the rest of your noodles and use any extra stuffing mix to fill in the middle of your dish. Cover with the remaining bechemel and spread the marinara over each roll. Top with the mozzerella and remaining parm. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for 15 more minutes, until the cheese is nice and golden.

Serve this with a caeser salad and some garlic bread and you will be somebody’s hero. Also recommended for date nights: guaranteed to score with this one!