Food Lasagna questions

bebedawl

bebedawl

O.G.
Jan 14, 2008
887
2
#1
I've somehow got myself into cooking lasagne for about 15 of us tonight, someone else is making Russian salad and I'm also making guacamole and the Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownies.

Does anyone have any good lasanga recipes or tips? Also is it better to cook the lasagna noodles first or layer them in still uncooked before putting them in to bake....I think these make it a bit chewy and crispy...
 
#2
I make a mean lasagna, if i do say so myself :P

1. i use the noodles that you dont have to boil first.. sooo much easier!
2. for the filling i use parmesan, mozzerella, cottage cheese, and ricotta cheese!
3. i just use a can/bottled sauce and add some ground beef.
4. i use the tin pans, you can just throw away after! the biggest ones, cuz i like tall lasagna!

Good luck tonight! :smile:
 
#3
Heres my recipe.

your need those no pre cook noodles (much easier)
1 tub of low fat ricotta
1 block of mozzarella (I use low fat)
1/2 block of parm
a couple lbs of ground beef (I use really low fat) or ground white meat turkey
two packages of frozen chopped spinach
2 medium vidalia onions
lots of garlic
mushrooms (if you like them)
2 large cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
random seasonings to taste (basil, chili flakes, etc)
red wine

cook the meat with some garlic and seasonings, put in the tomatoes once its cooked through, add red wine, let this simmer on really low and reduce for a good amount of time

cooke the onions and garlic in a smidge of olive oil, add the mushrooms, and spinach and set aside

shred cheeses and combine with riccotta (set aside a bit of the mozz and parm)
now you assemble:

layer of pasta, layers of veggies, layer of meat/sauce, layer of cheese, repeat, and repeat again, only one the last layer just do a sprinkling of the left over mozz and parm.
 
#4
I use regular noodles (not no boil), but do not boil them first. I just make sure I place the sauce layer generously directly on top of the noodles.

I also use all italian sausage for the meat (I prefer turkey, as it's less greasy). IMO ground beef in italian dishes tastes bland (no offense!)
 
#5
sillykitty said:
I use regular noodles (not no boil), but do not boil them first. I just make sure I place the sauce layer generously directly on top of the noodles.

I also use all italian sausage for the meat (I prefer turkey, as it's less greasy). IMO ground beef in italian dishes tastes bland (no offense!)
Click to expand...

I spice up the ground beef with garlic and fennel. Fennel makes a big difference. I also mix a little nutmeg in with the ricotta. I don't like no-boil noodles, I use the boiled kind and boil them for about 3-4 minutes.
 
#8
I agree on the no cottage cheese and sausage (spicy is always better). I'm also a fan of mushrooms and spinach, but that, and other additives are easy to tweak to your taste.

Don't feel like you're cheating to use the no-boil noodles. Not only are they tons easier, Cooks Illustrated did a taste test and every brand of no-boil topped every brand and method of cooking the uncooked in blind taste tests - easier and taste better, too! Woo hoo!
 
#9
Well if I use the noodles you have to boil I roll each noodle.
I put my stuff (meat and cheese mixture) OR spinach and cheese mixture onto a laid out noodle and then roll it. I bake with sauce on top. This is much easier for individual portions.

If I use the ready to bake noodles then I just spread on each and pack it down and put lots of sauce on top.

So...my meat is:
Sausage meat or beef, tomato sauce (make my own) but you can by some that are similar if you use a good jarred sauce. For cheese mixture I use parmesan reggiano, mozzarella, riccotta (fresh) sometimes I'll use pecorino.

It's nice to have a veggie option to (and I really don't eat any type of ground meat) so I always make a version with spinach.

Good luck!
 
#10
i never boil the regular lasagna noodles . as mentioned above. i make sure the top sauce layer completely covers the whole top. cover with foil for 1 hour or so at 350 degrees... i have been making it this way for years and cannot believe all the time i wasted boiling those noodles. waste of time. i pile on the cheese too.
 
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