Deluxe Lasagna 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.

THE ULTIMATE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.
• Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

DEADLY DELICIOUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and lay noodles on a paper towel.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, spicing to taste, until no longer pink, and reserve.
• In a large bowl, mix the ricotta and 2 jars of spaghetti sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
• Stir all but one cup of the cheese mixture into the ricotta mixture; stir in the sausage and chopped spinach.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Lay 3 to 4 noodles lengthwise and side by side; then lay 3 to 4 noodles overlapping and in a staggered pattern on top.
• Add a generous layer of the sausage/cheese; repeat layers twice, until they have reach 1/2 inch from the top of the baking dish. Layer noodles on top of the lasagna and coat in the last jar of spaghetti sauce. Cover with last cup of cheese mixture and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Slice and serve, and then see a dietician... It's deadly.

DELUXE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil. When warmed, add garlic and onion, stirring until onion is slightly translucent. Add sausage and ground beef, brown. While browning, chop meat down to as small as you can get it. Drain oil. Add seasonings. (You can really put them to taste, and add whatever favorite Italian seasonings you like) Add tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetables. Simmer, stirring occasionally. If sauce is too thick, add a small can of tomato sauce, or water. If too thin, add a bit more tomato paste.
• Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and 1 bag of mozzarella. Add parmesan to taste. Add eggs and parsley and mix well.
• Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan (glass works best). Add to the bottom of the pan just a couple spoonfuls of the meat mixture, spread evenly. You just want enough sauce to fully wet the bottom of the pan. Layer over that 3 lasagna noodles. Layer over that about 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Add lasagna noodles. Layer over those about 1/3 of the meat mixture. Continue layering, ending with meat mixture on top. Sprinkle remaining bag of mozzarella cheese over meat mixture. Use as much, or as little cheese as you like. Sprinkle with more parmesan and parsley flakes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove foil and place back in oven just until cheese is golden.

CHICKEN LASAGNA DELUXE

Steps:

• Combine the cottage cheese and the cream cheese. In another bowl, combine the soup, broccoli, celery, onion, milk, and seasoning. Place 2 noodles in a greased 11 x 7 pan. Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, 1/3 cup of the broccoli mixture and repeat the layers.Ending with the chicken and cheese. Pour boiling water around the edges of the noodles, Cover and bake 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes. Leave covered after baking and let stand another 15 minutes before you serve.