I have had a strong desire for some homemade lasagna for a while now. I know that most of you here enjoy good food and know your way around a kitchen pretty well. I thought I would ask for your suggestions for a good lasagna recipe. Thanks.
Well, I could tell ya but I'd have to kill ya!
If you would like I have a recipe to use, just pm me. It's a lot of work, homemade, but very good. Hope ya like cheese!
<LI class=ingredient>2 tablespoons olive oil <LI class=ingredient>1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion) <LI class=ingredient>2 garlic cloves, minced <LI class=ingredient>1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed <LI class=ingredient>1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree <LI class=ingredient>1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste <LI class=ingredient>1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided <LI class=ingredient>1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves <LI class=ingredient>2 teaspoons kosher salt <LI class=ingredient>3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper <LI class=ingredient>1/2 pound lasagna noodles <LI class=ingredient>15 ounces ricotta cheese <LI class=ingredient>3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled <LI class=ingredient>1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling <LI class=ingredient>1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
From my grandmother's kitchen. By far the best lasagna I have ever had, and I love me some Italian food. Takes awhile, but well worth it. If you want to double or triple the recipe, you can freeze it for a later time.
Cheese sauce:
Melt 4 T butter in saucepan
Add 1 chopped onion
Add several chopped garlic cloves
Cook over low heat until onions and garlic are soft and transparent
Add 3 T flour to make the roux (a mixture of flour and fat that is cooked briefly and used as the thickening base of a sauce)
Add ¾ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese (sometimes I use a mixture of parmesan and romano or whatever I can find at the store
Slowly add 2 cups of milk (I use a blend of whole milk and ½ and ½ )
Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken and comes to a boil – this takes a long time and your arm will get tired!
Add 2 egg yolks – be sure to set your egg yolks out before starting the sauce so they come to room temperature – then when you are ready to add – first drop a little of the cheese sauce into the bowl of egg yolks and stir rapidly – so you do not cook the eggs when adding to the sauce – when you pour egg yolks into the sauce, again, stir like crazy with a whisk – so you don’t end up with chunks of cooked egg yolk in the sauce.
Return sauce to a boil for one minute – it should now be a very thick sauce
Meat Sauce for Lasagna:
1lb. meat (sausage, ground beef, veal, whatever your favorite)
1 white onion, chopped
garlic cloves (as many as you like), minced
tomato paste
1 can (28oz.) crushed tomatoes
dried herbs (I use an Italian blend) basil, oregano, etc.
Sweat onion in large dutch oven with olive oil until translucent
Add garlic and meat
Cook until meat is browned
Drain, do not rinse.
Return to pot, and put healthy squeeze of tomato paste in bottom of pan
"Rust" the tomato paste and stir into meat/onion/garlic mixture
Add crushed tomatoes, fill up can with water and add to pot
Add dried herbs, cover and simmer.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickens (can remove/crack lid to help expedite this process).
Noodles:
Prepare one box of lasagna noodles
I add a touch of olive oil and salt when cooking to prevent the noodles from sticking
Spread them out on wax or parchment paper to dry
Layer it Up!
Rub some olive oil (just a little) in your baking pan – 9 x 13
Layer noodles, meat sauce, cheese sauce
Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or so – you may want to cover the edges with aluminum foil to prevent the noodles from getting crisp on the perimeter of the pan.
Tips:
Make your noodles and meat sauce first and set aside
Cheese sauce takes a long time and needs your constant attention
When layering, you do not have to completely cover the noodles with meat and cheese – or you won’t have many layers
You can make this a day or two ahead and refrigerate – you may need to adjust your baking time up a little
Make sure your noodles are dry or you will have water in the bottom of your pan – soggy lasagna
Preparation: Brown sausage slowly; drain off excess fat. Add garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and tomato paste. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, adding a little water if too thick. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Place a layer of noodles in bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of mozzarella cheese then spoon 1/2 of ricotta mixture over mozzarella. Spoon 1/2 meat sauce over the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a 375° oven.
Allow lasagna to set a few minutes before serving.