Italian Bake Aka Lazy Lazagna Food

RAVIOLI LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Optional*** coat interior of pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium skillet, crumble and brown the beef over medium heat until completely browned. Drain off the excess fat. Mix in seasoning and garlic powder after draining the meat.
• Reserve ¾ cup of the spaghetti sauce; set aside. Add the remaining spaghetti sauce to the skillet with the browned meat. Stir well then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Spread ¼ cup of the reserved spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Arrange one third of the frozen ravioli in a single layer in the pan.
• Top the ravioli in the pan with half of the ground beef mixture, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.
• Place another 1/3 of the frozen ravioli over the meat sauce and cheese. Top with the rest of the meat and another third of the cheese.
• Place the final 1/3 of the frozen ravioli on top of the casserole. Top with the remaining ½ cup of the spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes-30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and beginning to bubble around the edges.
• Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing out servings.

LAZY LASAGNA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta one minute shy of the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef, onion, and ½ teaspoon garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease and return the pan to the heat. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the marinara and water and let it simmer for a couple of minutes until warmed through. Stir in the cooked pasta, remove from the heat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Add ricotta and egg to a large mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add half of the shredded mozzarella, remaining garlic, half of the Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper.
• Add half of the beef/pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Spoon dollops of the ricotta mixture evenly over the top. Top with remaining beef/pasta mixture, spreading it out with the back of a spoon to cover the creamy layer.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bechamel sauce:
• In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.
• In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

WEEKNIGHT LAZY LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Drain noodles well; stir into cheese mixture., Spread 1 cup pasta sauce into a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the noodle mixture and 1 cup sauce; layer with the remaining noodle mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese., Cover with greased foil; bake until heated through, 10-15 minutes.

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.

EASY LAZY LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef and sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Pour marinara sauce into the meat. Stir in drained egg noodles, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning; mix until incorporated. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

ITALIAN BAKE AKA LAZY LAZAGNA

Steps:

• brown ground beef/turkey with onion & 1 tsp of the garlic powder.
• while meat is cooking boil water for pasta & cook it til still chewy, as it will cook more in the oven.
• when meat is done drain & rinse with hot water to remove as much grease as possible, put back in pan & add jelly & half the pasta sauce, cook til jelly disolves into meat & sauce.
• take all ingredients(except cheese) & place in 9X11 in casserole.
• mix thoroughly.
• toss 1/4 of the cheese in with other ingredients & mix.
• then sprinkle rest of cheese on top, bake @ 375 til golden & bubbly & enjoy!
• As for Once a Month Cooking -- this is how I do it --
• I double, triple or quadruple the recipe except when it comes to the step to place it in the casserole dish I instead place it in large round ice cream buckets I've sprayed with cooking spray, place some plastic wrap on top then place lid & freeze. Then on the day you want to cook it, get it out of freezer in the morning, run bucket under water to loosen a bit. then take contents out (in one huge lump) & put in large round crockpot, it fits perfectly! Set on low, come back 5-6 hours later & voila dinner! You can also use the ice cream bucket method for other casseroles & soups & stews.

LAZY LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; set aside. In another bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce and beef; mix well. , Spoon a fourth of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with three noodles and half of the cheese mixture; repeat layers once. Top with a fourth of the meat sauce, remaining noodles and remaining meat sauce. Pour water around edges. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. , Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until noodles are tender. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Brown bacon and onion in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in fennel seed, 1 teaspoon oregano, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce. Cover, and simmer on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until thick.
• Brown sausage links in a large skillet. Drain on paper towels. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
• Mix together ricotta cheese, egg, milk, parsley, and 1 teaspoon oregano in a medium bowl.
• Layer 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Layer with 1/3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 sausage pieces, 1/3 mozzarella, and 1/2 provolone cheese. Top with 1/3 sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/3 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over the top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours.

WORLD'S EASIEST LAZY LAZAGNA

Steps:

• Reserve about 2/3 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1 cup of pasta sauce.
• Brown ground beef, sausage and onion, adding crushed garlic when almost done. Stir in pasta sauce and all dried spices.
• In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, mozzarella and 2 raw eggs.
• Spread one-third of meat sauce in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Follow with a layer of uncooked egg noodles. (Simply "dump" the noodles on top of the sauce and spread with your hand to create a thin even layer, completely covering the sauce. Follow by a layer of the cheese mix, and a layer of meat sauce. Repeat procedure until all ingridients are used. Mix remaining pasta sauce with hot water, 50/50. Slowly pour the mixture around inside edge of dish, until the entire top layer of noodles is lightly covered with liquid. If necessary, simply pour the mixture straight on top. Don't worry - it will cook away. Let stand for 5 minutes before putting the dish in the oven. Lightly sprinkle with mozzarella. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 35-40 minutes. Uncover. If the egg noodles seem cooked (they're so small - you can just pinch one off and taste) -- top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
• *** If you have no sausage on hand, just substitute ground beef. I've tried this recipe with ground turkey, and even with a mix of browned ground beef and zucchini, and it came out great. If you prefer - you can broil the top mozzarella layer for a couple of minutes for extra sizzle. Enjoy!

ITALIAN PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Add to beef mixture and gently stir in sliced plum tomatoes. , Transfer to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

LAZY NO-BAKE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large, wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 6 minutes. Add the Marinara and 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, then partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is coating it nicely, about 16 minutes. Stir in the mozzarella and ricotta, then sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and serve.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it just turns golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, basil, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE LASAGNA

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, sugar, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered about 45 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
• In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and the oregano.
• Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Top with 4 noodles. Spread 1 cup of the cheese mixture over noodles; spread with 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 4 noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, 1 cup of the sauce mixture and 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake about 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.