Ham and Asparagus Lasagna

1 lb. fresh asparagus cut into 1 in. pieces
1 lb. lasagna noodles
4 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
4 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
Salt/Pepper
1/2 lb. ham sliced or shreaded into 1/2 in. pieces or so

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large, shallow pot of water to a boil and add a hand full of salt once it is at a rolling boil. Prepare a medium size bowl with ice and water and set to the side. Add the asparagus to the water and cook for about 2 minutes until just tender; then, with a strainer, transfer the asparagus with a slotted spoon or strainer to the ice water bowl (this stops the cooking and keeps the asparagus bright green). Bring the large, shallow pot of water back to a boil and stagger the lasagna noodles so they do not lay completely one over the other; cook about 7 minutes until slightly tender. Take the noodles out one by one and place on a baking sheet in a row, using wax paper or parchment paper to stack on top of each other (we usually use our silocone baking pads to separate the "layers") and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and some salt & pepper and cook about 5 minutes until softened. Using a whisk, whisk in the flour and cook about 1 minute to get out the raw flour taste. While you are whisking, slowly add the milk in, along with some salt & pepper, and bring to a boil, making sure to whisk the mixture every 30 seconds or so to prevent scalding the milk. Once the milk is boiling, lower the heat to simmer and whisk constantly until thickened (if you are unsure of the thickness, take a wooden spoon and dip it in; if you take it out and the mixture completely slides off it needs more time, and if you take it out and it leaves a nice white cover that stays with the spoon it is thick enough). Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 the parmesan and 1/2 the nutmeg; add more salt & pepper to your taste if needed.

In a 9x13 baking dish, ladle in just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Take your lasagna noodles and place in an even layer (you can cut your noodles to fit if needed, just save the remains in case you need them in a later layer). Top the noodle layer with 1/5 of the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle 1/4 of the ham, 1/4 of the asparagus, and 1/4 of the remaining parmesan (we like also add a bit of fresh grated nutmeg over each layer too). Repeat layers 3 more times - if you find you need less or more layers, just reserve enough ham, asparagus, and parmesan to meet your baking dish's needs. Top the last layer with noodles, remaining cheese sauce, parmesan, and nutmeg. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes until heated through. Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes, or until top is golden and noodles start to "crisp" up. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

* Original recipe courtsey of Everyday with Rachael Ray, April 2008, p. 72