Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Lasagna Recipe

There are probably a million different Lasagna recipes out there in the web world, but this is my recipe for it.  I have "perfected" it over the years and gotten compliments the last several times I made it.  Some people may think lasagna is difficult to make - it's not.  It does, however, take some time and requires several steps.  Last time I made it Megan and Emily helped and I broke it down for them in this way:  Lasagna has three components: sauce, cheese, and noodles.  You make each one and then put them together.  It goes like this:

Lasagna

Sauce:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or hot - whatever your preference)
1  1/2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce (I like Newman's Own Marinara)

Cheese Mixture:
15 oz Ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg
Italian seasoning (about 1/2 TBSP)
Garlic Powder (about 1/2 tsp)

Noodles:
1 box Lasagna noodles


First, begin heating water to cook the noodles.  When it is ready add your noodles and let them cook while you are working on the other steps.  Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.





Then, brown the ground beef and sausage in a large skillet.  (The sausage really is key - it gives it a great flavor.)  Once the meat is browned, add the sauce and let it simmer while you work on the cheese.






Next, put together the cheese mixture.  Mix the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, parmesan, egg, and seasonings in a large bowl.  (I just eyeball the seasonings, but I have given you approximate measurements.) 










If you're really lucky like me, you'll have an adorable "assistant" who can help you stir the cheese mixture all together! :-) 





By this time, your noodles should be finished boiling.  Drain them and rinse them with cold water.  (I know you usually don't rinse pasta, but your fingers will thank you for this when you begin the assembly, I promise!)














Now comes the fun part - Assembly!  Start by setting up your assembly line - something like this:

Spread some sauce in the bottom of your 13x9 pan - just enough to cover the bottom.
Add a layer of noodles.
Add some more sauce (about 1 cup).
Dollop on 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
It should look like this:

Repeat the layers: more sauce, more noodles, more cheese mixture.

Repeat the layers again: sauce, noodles, cheese.

Top that off with the remaining sauce, leftover mozzarella, and some extra parmesan if you have it.  The finished (uncooked) product should look something like this:

Put it in your preheated oven and bake it for 45-60 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to turn golden brown.

The finished product will look something like this.



YUMMY!!!!!!!

A couple of tips I have learned over the years that really make a difference:
1) You need more than one jar of sauce, but DON"T just add water to thin it out.  This makes the lasagna watery and "mushy."  Use the extra sauce instead.
2) You can just use a pound of ground beef but, the sausage really does make a big difference.  If you go with ground beef only, add some chopped onion, red pepper flakes, etc. to flavor it up.
3) Don't forget to season the cheese mixture.  You can play with the seasoning - just use oregano or basil - whatever suits your taste.  But, the cheese is a great place to add a little extra oompf of flavor and you will miss it if you leave it out.
4) Finally, let the lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before you cut into it.  Just like meatloaf, this helps to keep it from falling apart when you serve it.

Do you have any lasagna tips or similar recipe??  I would love to hear them!!


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