Deep Dish Mediterranean Style Lasagna Food

DEEP DISH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage with the onions, garlic and 1/2 the parsley; drain excess fat. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, oregano, and basil; mix well. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes; stirring occasionally.
• In a bowl, combine remaining parsley and ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, eggs, garlic salt, and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 2 cups sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Begin layering with 4 noodles, 1/2 cheese mix, 1/3 remaining sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat this layer again; the last layer will be noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil; bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

NOR'S MEATY DEEP DISH LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Make sauce: it is easier to make a day ahead. Pour the 3 jars of sauce in to a large pot. Add all seasonings and stir to combine. Set on low heat uncovered. Stir occasionally.
• 2. Heat oven to 425 degree's. On a foil lined baking sheet. Line up sausages. Bake and turn occasionally until cooked through. 30 minutes or more. Remove from oven to cool
• 3. While sausages are baking. Cook and drain hamburger. Add to sauce.
• 4. Cook chopped green pepper and onion together in a TBS of olive oil mixed with a TBS of butter. Cook on med high stirring until cooked. Add to sauce.
• 5. Fry mushrooms in butter olive oil mixture until done. Add to sauce.
• 6. Add garlic to sauce. Slice cooled sausage into 1/2 inch slices. Add to sauce to combine. Cook sauce uncovered on medium until it boils. Reduce to simmer. Simmer about 2 hours stirring occasionally. Proceed on,with recipe, or cool and refrigerate over night. ( do not refrigerate sauce while hot. Doing that sours the sauce.)
• 7. Cook Lasagna noodles per instructions on box. I layer cooked moodles between parchment paper on a sheet pan to prevent sticking.
• 8. Mix cottage cheese with Parmesan cheese, basil salt and pepper. Beat eggs and combine with cheese. Set aside.
• 9. Heat oven to 375 degree's. Place some sauce in bottom of foil pan to cover bottom. I remove sausage from it after spreading on bottom only. Place noodles length wise in pan on top of sauce. Use enough noodles to cover the width ( occasionslly I have to cut a noodle in half. 3 1/2 noodles.
• 10. Spread enough cottage cheese mixture to cover noodles. Sprinkle a little mozzarella over it. Top with noodles. Sauce, noodles, cottage cheese cheese etc. continue layering.
• 11. Last layer should be sauce and lots of Mozzarella on top. Place Lasagna on baking sheet. Spray dull side of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray. Lay over top of Lasagna. Place in oven and bake until bubbly about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil from top the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and let sit about 30 minutes before slicing.

MEDITERRANEAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Use a mandolin to thinly slice, about an 1/8th inch thick, the zucchini and eggplant into long strips. Line two half sheet trays with paper towel and lay the strips of vegetables over the lined sheet trays. Evenly sprinkle the salt over the vegetables and then top them with another sheet of paper towel. Continue to layer the vegetables and paper towels in single layers until all the vegetables are covered. Let the vegetables stand while you prep the rest of the ingredients, at least 30 minutes; the vegetables will let off their excess moisture.
• Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Lay the lasagna noodles on a sheet tray in an even layer. Carefully pour the hot, salted water over the noodles. Let the noodles soak for 20 minutes to soften.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook about 6-8 minutes or until softened and the excess liquid has evaporated from the pan. Season with salt. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute or until fragrant. Next add the spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. Season the mixture again with salt to taste once the spinach has completely wilted and excess liquid has cooked off. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool.
• To a large bowl combine the ricotta, lemon zest, spinach and mushroom mixture, parsley, basil, dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Season the ricotta mixture with salt to taste.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top the sauce with 4 lasagna noodles. Evenly spread one third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Next, shingle half of the eggplant slices over the ricotta and press down on the eggplant firmly to ensure the layers are even. Spread another 3/4 cup of sauce over the eggplant followed by half of the zucchini. Again, press down on the zucchini to keep the layers even. Spread another third of the ricotta over the zucchini, followed by four more noodles and another 3/4 cup tomato sauce. Shingle the remaining eggplant over the sauce and press firmly down on the eggplant. Spread the remaining ricotta over the top, the last four noodles and another 3/4 cup tomato sauce. Shingle the zucchini over the top of the lasagna and sprinkle the top with shaved parmesan.
• Place the lasagna in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbling on the sides and the cheese is beginning to brown on top. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
• Nutrition Info Per Serving.
• Calories: 361.
• Total Fat: 15 grams.
• Saturated Fat: 7 grams.
• Total Carbohydrate: 40 grams.
• Sugars: 12 grams.
• Protein: 6 grams.
• Sodium: 886 milligrams.
• Cholesterol: 34 milligrams.
• Fiber: 6 gram.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGGIE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add red onion, green onion, garlic and celery.
• Saute until onion is translucent and celery starts to soften.
• Add other veggies, one by one, stirring before adding the next.
• Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring once.
• Uncover and cook til vegetables are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes longer.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat.
• Whisk in flour.
• Whisk 2 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in milk.
• Cook until mixture comes to a boil, whisking often.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon 1 cup of sauce over bottom of your lasagna pan.
• Arrange 5 lasagna noodles atop sauce, overlapping slightly.
• Spoon half of vegetables over noodles.
• Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over veggies.
• Sprinkle 1/3 of your cheese over sauce.
• Repeat each layer once.
• Top with the last 5 lasagna noodles.
• Spoon remaining sauce over noodles.
• Top with remaining cheese.
• This is where you would refrigerate for later use, just cover tightly.
• Bake Lasagna uncovered on center rack until sauce is bubbling, about 40 minutes, 55 minutes if previously chilled.
• Remove from oven and allow to stand for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing.

LASAGNA SUPREMO (THE BEST LASAGNA EVER!)

Steps:

• FOR THE LASAGNA: Prepare lasagna according to package directions.
• Drain and set aside. NOTE: You can use Barella No Boil Noodles, but be sure during the assembly of the layers that the noodles do not stick out.
• Cook Italian sausage either in a skillet or by boiling in a pot of water, thinly slice crosswise and set aside.
• Brown the ground beef and ground pork in a skillet, drain off and discard fat.
• Add onion and garlic to the ground meat, stir and cook another 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar, salt, basil, fennel seeds, pepper and the Marinara sauce and simmer for 20 minutes.
• While the above mixture is simmering, combine in a large bowl the eggs, Ricotta cheese, and parsley.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Take a 13 by 9 inch baking dish and spray the bottom with a non-stick spray, such as Pam.
• In the baking dish, spoon in a layer of 1/3 of the meat sauce.
• Then layer 1/3 of the lasagna pasta (overlapping each strip of pasta with the other).
• Then layer 1/3 of the Ricotta mixture.
• Then layer 1/3 of the sliced olives and 1/3 of the sliced Italian sausage.
• Then layer 1/3 of the sliced mushrooms.
• Then layer 1/3 of the Mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan.
• Then continue to repeat the layering until all of the ingredients are layered.
• When the layering is completed, cover with aluminum foil, making certain that the foil is not touching the top of the lasagna, and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake, uncovered, another 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to sit and rest 10 minutes before cutting.
• FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE (by Alan Leonetti): Empty Hunts chunky crushed tomatoes and Hunts tomato paste into the pot.
• Add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pot.
• Slice the cloves of garlic crosswise into either halves or thirds or pieces, and dump them into the pot.
• Dice the shallot, and dump that into the pot.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to mix well with a large long handled wooden spoon.
• Do not strain, as the pulp adds to make this a thick and wonderful sauce.
• Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes for about an hour or until it bubbles and is completely heated throughout.
• Reduce heat to simmer, and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes to keep from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot for 1 or 2 hours.
• Remove from heat and give it one last stir.
• Serve over spaghetti, ravioli, pasta or use for chicken parmesan, veal parmesan, or anything that calls for a Marinara sauce.
• NOTE: Use only Hunts Chunky Crushed Tomatoes and Hunts Tomato Paste.