Almost Lasagna 150 Per Serving Food

THE BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• Place the beef in a large bowl and "pull" it apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and loosening the meat without compacting it.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the meat is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread the beef in an even layer in the same pot and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is browned and completely cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots, celery, onions, half the garlic, the bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it's very fragrant and brick red colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and reduce until the liquid is very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the reserved pancetta and beef, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Add the basil and Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the ragu should release occasional small bubbles. If the ragu reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking. Repeat if necessary. The ragu needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf, basil and Parmesan rind. Break up any remaining clumps of meat with the back of a spoon, making an even textured sauce. Season with salt and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles, stirring occasionally and separating them to prevent sticking, until softened and bendable but are still hard and chalky in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl of cold water and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Stir together the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the remaining grated garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside until ready to assemble.
• Lightly oil a 13-by-9-inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Spread 1 cup of the ragu evenly in the bottom of the pan. Lay a single layer of noodles over the ragu (if you're using long noodles, you will need to cut some noodles to fill the gaps). Spread 1 1/2 cups of the ragu over the noodles. Dollop 3/4 cup of the ricotta mixture over the ragu and spread lightly with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, followed by another layer of noodles. Repeat with the remaining pasta, ragu, ricotta mixture and mozzarella, creating 4 layers of pasta and ending with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. (The lasagna should come just above the top of the pan but it will sink down slightly as it cooks.) Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Lightly oil a piece of foil and cover the pan. Put the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake the lasagna until bubbling gently around the edges, about 1 hour.
• Remove the lasagna from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Remove the foil and then continue to bake the lasagna until the top is browned and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

EASY LASAGNA FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Cook lasagna noodles in a deep pot in lots of boiling water, some salt and a small amount of oil. Do not overcook. Drain and let stand in cold water until ready to assemble. Cook ground beef. Add chopped onion while cooking. Season with fennel seeds or anise, oregano, sweet basil, garlic powder or minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep meat well crumbled as it cooks. Use medium heat and stir often, small amount of water may be added. Do not brown. When nice and crumbly and when pink is gone, add Italian or spaghetti sauce. Mix well and set aside. Beat eggs, add cottage or ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese, add salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Spray coat steam table pans, layer noodles (4 noodles make a layer). Put layer of meat tomato sauce, then layer of cottage cheese mixture, sprinkle with grated Mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat layers, ending with layer of sauce and topped with a generous layer of Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Should be bubbly. Let set 10 or 15 minutes before serving. Each pan serves 15 generously. cook's notes This may be frozen and reheated. If you think more liquid is needed, add tomato juice or use some additional sauce over top while baking.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

CROWD-SOURCED MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Rub the bottom and sides of a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish (about 5 quarts) with olive oil. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until everything is well coated and the tomato paste is a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until almost dry. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the sauce reduces slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until just al dente and pliable, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a colander; run cool water over the noodles and separate them.
• Make the filling: Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, 2/3 cup Parmesan, the parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir until combined.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread a thin layer of sauce (about 1 cup) in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, laying them lengthwise. Top the noodles with one-quarter of the remaining sauce (about 2 cups). Dollop one-third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) on top and spread in an even layer. Top with 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat these layers two more times (noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and parmesan). For the last layer, add the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the baking dish with foil, sealing the edges (do not press the foil into the cheese). Bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown, 20 to 30 more minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

ALMOST LASAGNA -- $1.50 PER SERVING

Steps:

• Brown meat and drain well, if necessary.
• While meat is cooking, stir together eggs, ricotta, grated Parmesan and salt and pepper.
• Mix cooked meat, macaroni, sauce and veggies. Add ricotta mixture and blend well.
• Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray or olive oil and spread half of macaroni mixture evenly over the bottom. Top with a cup of mozzarella and a healthy sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Add the remaining macaroni mixture and top with another cup of mozzarella and another sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with foil.
• Heat your oven to 350°F and bake the casserole for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes until the cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbly.

ALMOST LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Brown meat and drain well, if necessary
• 2. While meat is cooking, stir together eggs, ricotta, grated Parmesan and salt and pepper.
• 3. Mix cooked meat, macaroni, sauce and veggies. Add ricotta mixture and blend well.
• 4. Coat a 9-by-13 baking pan with cooking spray or olive oil and spread half of macaroni mixture evenly over the bottom. Top with a cup of mozzarella and a healthy sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Add the remaining macaroni mixture and top with another cup of mozzarella and another sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with foil.
• 5. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake the casserole for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes until the cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbly.

GRAMMY'S OVERNIGHT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook the ground beef in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes; drain fat. Stir in the marinara sauce, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove sauce from heat.
• Arrange 6 noodles in a 9x13-inch baking dish, breaking if necessary to fit. Spoon 1/2 of the sauce over noodles. Top with 1/2 of the cottage cheese and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with remaining noodles, sauce, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake lasagna, covered, until noodles are soft, cheese is melted, and sauce is bubbly, about 1 hour. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

LEAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a medium-sized nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Sauté onion for 2 minutes, then add turkey and cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, all seasonings and mushrooms and simmer 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. In a bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, and nutmeg. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Coat a 9" x 13" baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange 1/3 lasagna noodles (3 noodles) on the bottom of the pan. Spread a layer of ricotta mixture, then turkey mixture, then 1/3 mozzarella. Repeat layers, ending with mozzarella. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Cool at least 5 minutes before cutting.