Cottage Cheese Seafood Lasagna

RETRO RECIPE: SEAFOOD LASAGNA (REVISED DECEMBER 2018)

Steps:

• Generously butter bottom and sides of 11x13 inch glass pyrex casserole dish and if using dried pasta noodles, cook as directed on the side of the box; drain well and toss with a little olive oil to avoid sticking while making the remainder of the dish. If using frozen or fresh flat pasta, no need to cook.
• Cover prepared bottom of 11x13 inch casserole dish with pasta noodles and pre-heat oven to 350°F if baking (I often make ahead and freeze, then bake another day)
• Saute onion in butter; add cream cheese, basil, salt and pepper and turn off heat when cream cheese is partially melted continuing to stir until cheese is fully melted via the retained heat of the pan
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix eggs into cottage cheese, then add to onion mixture and stir well to fulling incorporate all ingredients (There will be a little over 5 1/2 cups)
• Spread half cheese mixture (2 3/4 cups) over first layer of pasta noodles and cover with another layer of noodles
• In large bowl place mushroom soup with wine or vermouth and stir well to combine
• Strain crabmeat and shrimp to ensure all liquid is dispelled; pat shrimp dry and combine in medium bowl
• Add flour to crab/shrimp mixture, stir to combine, then add to larger bowl with mushroom/vermouth and mix together
• Place half seafood mixture (about 2 1/2 cups) over the second layer of pasta noodles and spread to cover evenly
• Repeat layers, starting with noodles and ending with seafood
• Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bake or freeze
• Leave uncovered, bake at 350°F for 75 minutes, checking every 30 minutes and cover with foil to avoid over-browning, if necessary
• After 60 minutes in the oven, add cheddar cheese to cover casserole; bake remaining 15 minutes until melted
• Remove from oven and rest 20 to 30 minutes to enable slicing without oozing, lightly tented with foil
• Slice into generous slabs, serve with a crisp green salad and enjoy!
• Wrap well with plastic wrap, cover with foil and freeze, clearly dated and labelled
• Also freezes well sliced and well wrapped in individual portions, after baked

AUNTY PASTO'S SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until done. Rinse and drain noodles. Set aside.
• Melt butter or margarine in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add cream cheese, cottage cheese, egg, basil, and salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, combine soup, milk, and wine. Stir in crab, shrimp, and mushrooms.
• Place 4 noodles in the bottom of a well oiled 9x13 inch pan. Spread 1/2 cheese mixture over the noodles, and spoon 1/2 soup mixture over cheese. Repeat layers.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Top with sharp cheese, and parmesan cheese. Brown lasagna under broiler. Remove from oven, and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

COTTAGE CHEESE SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat margarine in 3-quart saucepan over low heat until melted; add garlic.
• Stir in flour, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring constantly until bubbly.
• Stir in milk and broth and heat to boiling, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
• Stir in mozzarella, onions, basil, and oregano.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted.
• Spread 1/4 of the cheese sauce (about 1 c.) in 13x9-inch baking dish.
• Top with 3 or 4 uncooked noodles.
• Spread cottage cheese over noodles.
• Repeat with 1/4 of cheese sauce, then 3 or 4 noodles.
• Top with crabmeat, shrimp, 1/4 of cheese sauce, remaining noodles and cheese sauce.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven until noodles are done, 35-40 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

EASY SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Reduce heat. Add cream cheese; cook and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the cottage cheese, egg, basil, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the soups, wine or broth, milk, crab and shrimp., Arrange 3 noodles in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Spread with a third of cottage cheese mixture and a third of the seafood mixture. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese., Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and lasagna is bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

NO-FAIL BAKED SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly; simmer on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan; set aside. Mix spinach, cottage cheese, 2/3 cup mozzarella and nutmeg.
• Spread 2/3 cup Parmesan sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles and layers of half each of the shrimp, crabmeat and spinach mixture; top with 2/3 cup of the remaining Parmesan sauce. Repeat layers, starting with the noodles. Top with remaining noodles, Parmesan cheese sauce and mozzarella; cover.
• Bake 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 25 min. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.

SEAFOOD LASAGNA WITH CRAB AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain, and rinse in cold water. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a skillet, cook onion in butter over medium heat until tender. Remove from heat, and stir in cream cheese, cottage cheese, egg, basil, and salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the soup, milk, wine, crabmeat, and shrimp.
• Lay 3 cooked lasagna noodles on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread 1/3 of the onion mixture over the noodles. Then spread 1/3 of the soup mixture over the onion layer. Repeat the noodle, onion, soup layers twice more. Top with Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

MOM'S SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the seafood: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and seafood seasoning and cook until the shrimp turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the skillet.
• Add the wine and lemon juice to the skillet, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shrimp and crabmeat.
• Make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until combined. Gradually add the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Romano until melted. Set aside.
• Make the spinach-artichoke ricotta: Stir together the ricotta, spinach, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and egg until combined. Season with salt. Fold in 1 cup of the béchamel sauce.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread about 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 to 4 lasagna noodles and about 2/3 cup béchamel sauce. Top with half of the spinach-artichoke ricotta and half of the seafood. Repeat the layers once. Top with the remaining 3 to 4 lasagna noodles and béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Romano.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (coat with cooking spray before adding to the top to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake, covered, until the lasagna is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the noodles are tender and the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

EASY LASAGNA II

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper.
• To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of the sauce mixture. Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers once more: top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree F(175 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

CREAMY SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in half-and-half, broth, sherry, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In medium bowl, mix egg, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup parsley; set aside.
• Drain noodles. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread 3/4 cup of the sauce. Top with 3 noodles. Spread half of the crabmeat and half of the shrimp over noodles; spread with 3/4 cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; top with 3 noodles. Spread ricotta mixture over noodles; spread with 3/4 cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; top with 3 noodles. Spread with remaining crabmeat, shrimp and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese is light golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.