asparagus lasagna

I have been making a ton of stuff lately. This came up in a recipe book and I was intrigued but a little leery about the texture and taste. Let me say, this came out so beautifully, and because it can be made ahead and then pieced together later it makes for a great weeknight dinner too!

9 lasagna sheets cooked al dente
large can crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cups parmesan cheese grated
1/4 lb pancetta diced
1 medium onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese (don't buy skim, this makes 8 servings and impacts the dish tremendously)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

in a large skillet, brown the pancetta until crisp. remove using a slotted spoon. add oil if necessary andc ook onion and garlic for about 4 min (do not brown the garlic). Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 4 minutes and transfer to a large bowl. (this is the point you can stop and store this mixture until you're ready to assemble the casserole) add the ricotta, salt and pepper and stir to combine well.

preheat oven to 350, sprinkle some of the crushed tomatoes on bottomo of a 9x13 dish. place a layer of lasagna sheets on top of tomatoes, spread noodles with 1/2 asparagus mixture. sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella and 1/3 or parmesan. make another layer. top 3rd layer of lasagna sheets with tomato and remaining cheeses. bake 25 minutes if nothing assembled ahead of time. if starting with cold asparagus, leave off top layer of cheeses and cook for 55 minutes, adding cheese the last 5 minutes. check center to ensure heated through. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

(adapted from giada de laurentiis)