Italian Lasagna Pie Food

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.

ITALIAN LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes and Sauce Mix (from Hamburger Helper box). Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, cook Pasta (from Hamburger Helper box) in boiling water 10 minutes; drain.
• In medium bowl, beat 1 of the eggs and the butter. Stir in cooked pasta and mozzarella cheese. In ungreased 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate, spoon and press mixture evenly in bottom and up side of dish.
• In small bowl, mix cottage cheese and remaining egg; spread over pasta mixture in dish. Sprinkle with broccoli. Spoon beef mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

LASAGNA (TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot, put the olive oil, garlic and parsley over medium high heat. When the garlic begins to brown, increase the heat and add the ground beef. Break up the beef, but keep it rather chunky. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of salt.
• When the beef is beginning to dry up, add the tomatoes and stir well. Add more salt, then lower the heat and allow to simmer for about an hour, stirring from time to time. Taste for salt and add pepper.
• When the sauce is ready, add the torn basil leaves. Remove about a cup (8 oz) of plain sauce (leave the ground beef in the pot and save for the top layer). Refrigerate the meat sauce when cool, or set aside if using right away.
• Melt the butter in a medium pot then add the flour. Keep stirring to cook the flour for at least 5 minutes, but don't let it brown. Pour in a little of the milk, and stir quickly to incorporate.
• Continue stirring and adding milk a little at a time. Once all the milk is mixed into the flour and butter mixture, add more.
• Add more milk each time as the composition gets more sauce-like.
• When all the milk has been added, season with about 1/2 tsp salt, a dash of nutmeg and about 1/4 tsp white pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Keep a lid on the sauce if not using right away.
• Boil the noodles in plenty of salted water, making sure to keep moving them so they don't stick together. Remove the noodles from the heat 5 minutes BEFORE the instructed time on the box.
• Reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain most of the water and then fill the pot with cold water just to cover the noodles. This will stop the pasta from cooking further.
• Put a thin layer of sauce (no meat) on the very bottom of the 9x13 pan.
• Add three pieces of lasagna lengthwise, then top generously with a quarter of the bechamel sauce.
• Next, dollop on the meat sauce, but don't add so much that the lasagna will only be sauce at the end.
• Sprinkle on about a quarter of the mozzarella.
• Then top with more lasagna sheets, however, this time, cut them to 9" strips so that you can place them in the opposite direction. This gives the lasagna structure so that it can hold together when cut. Cut the pieces so that it covers the bottom layer without leaving too much space.
• Repeat with the bechamel, meat sauce and mozzarella another three times so that there are 5 layers of pasta and 4 layers of filling.
• You may or may not have leftover meat sauce, depending on how much sauce you added. However, if you do use it all, take some of the reserved pasta water (about a cup) and rinse the pot with it and add it to the lasagna before the top layer goes on.
• Alternatively, just pour the water directly onto the lasagna. We didn't fully cook the pasta, so it will absorb more liquid as it cooks in the oven.
• The top of the lasagna will have the strips lengthwise, so I usually pull four (I overlap the top layer) of the best looking pieces (which aren't broken or cut) and save them for the top.
• Lastly, sprinkle some grated Parmesan on top of the lasagna before baking.
• Cover with foil (but make sure the foil doesn't touch the lasagna as tomatoes will eat through the foil) and put in a preheated 400 F (200 C) degree oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want the top.
• The edges will be bubbly when you remove it from the oven, so be careful. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.

IMPOSSIBLE LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 10-inch deep dish pie dish with nonstick spray and set aside. (If you are serving at the table out of this dish, choose your fancy pie dish!)
• Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet. While meat is cooking, add oregano, basil, marjoram, onion powder and garlic powder. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Turn heat off and mix tomato paste into beef.
• Spread beef mixture into prepared pie dish. Top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Dollop cottage cheese on top.
• Whirl milk, eggs, baking mix, Parmesan and a few grindings of black pepper in blender for 15-30 seconds. Pour egg mixture evenly over layers in pie dish and sprinkle with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes if your family likes a bit of spice. If not, don't.
• Bake 35 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and bake another 5-7 minutes to melt cheese.
• Serves 6.

AWESOME LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Drain and stir in the tomato paste, salt, and Italian seasoning. Set aside a little bit of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses for the top; stir the rest into the ground beef. Set aside.
• Spread cottage cheese into the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Spoon the ground beef mixture over the cheese. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and eggs. Blend in the biscuit mix until smooth. Pour over the top of the pie, covering completely.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.

STUFFED LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles until pliable but still very al dente, about 3 minutes less than the package cooking time. Drain, but do not rinse. (The starch from the noodles will help them stick to the sides of the pan.) Spread on a baking sheet. Cut 4 of the noodles crosswise into thirds.
• Toss the breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons Parmesan together in a small bowl. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Coat with the Parmesan breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess.
• Combine the garlic, carrot, celery and onion in a food processor or mini food processor and process to a paste.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Prick each sausage with a fork and cook until browned, 5 to 6 minutes; remove and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and crumble in the beef and pork. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the aromatic paste from the food processor. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it dries out, about 3 minutes. Make a space in the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring the tomato paste until it darkens a shade or two, about 2 minutes, then stir into the meat. Season with the oregano, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and simmer rapidly until very thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Combine the ricotta, egg, basil, parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a medium bowl.
• Line the prepared pan with the whole lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly. Spread about half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the pan on top of the noodles. Nestle the sausages into the meat sauce, pressing down to submerge them about halfway. Top with a third of the sliced mozzarella, breaking the slices to fit. Top with half of the cut noodle pieces and press down gently. Spread the ricotta mixture over the noodles and top with another third of the mozzarella. Top with the remaining cut noodles and press again. Spread over the remaining meat sauce and top with the remaining mozzarella. Fold over the noodles used to line the pan to encase the filling and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Cover the timpano with foil and bake until heated through, 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is crisp and golden-brown, about 30 minutes more. Let rest 45 minutes to 1 hour before unmolding. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of the pan to ensure it can be removed with ease. Unmold the lasagna by inverting it onto a serving platter. Arrange the basil sprigs in the middle. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with the marinara on the side.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNE

Steps:

• For the ragu, melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat until foaming. Add the celery, carrot, onion, porcini, rosemary and some seasoning, and fry for 5 mins.
• Season the meat, add to the dish and cook for 5 mins until browned. Pour in the wine, add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, put the lid on the dish and cook for 1hr 30 mins, removing the lid for the final 30 mins so the sauce can reduce. The meat should be tender but not too broken up, and the sauce should be thick. Taste for seasoning. You can cook it for longer if you have time - the flavour will only improve.
• For the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan with the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, then whisk in the flour and hot milk. Whisk vigorously until smooth, then cook for 10-15 mins until very thick. Remove the bay leaf and season, grating in nutmeg to taste. Stir in the parmesan and egg yolks, then set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Working in batches of three, plunge the pasta sheets into a pan of boiling salted water for 20 secs, just to soften, then immediately put in a bowl of ice-cold water.
• Rub oil onto the base and sides of a large baking dish. Put a layer of pasta on the base, then add a layer of ragu, followed by a layer of béchamel sauce. A good tip, for really defined layers, is to pipe the béchamel sauce over.
• Repeat this process until you have used all the pasta and ragu, and finish with a layer of béchamel sauce on top. Sprinkle the top with a generous layer of parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins or until bubbling and golden brown, then remove from the oven and leave to settle for 10 mins.
• Cut the lasagne into squares and let it sit for another 10 mins before serving - this keeps the layers defined and helps it cool down more quickly.

IMPOSSIBLY EASY LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Spread ricotta cheese in pie plate; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook ground beef until brown; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and the salt; spoon evenly over cheeses.
• Stir Bisquick mix, milk and eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until melted. Cool 5 minutes. Serve with additional spaghetti sauce.

IMPOSSIBLY EASY LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400.
• Grease 9" pie plate.
• Spread Cottage (or ricotta) cheese in pie plate.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Brown ground beef in sauce pan -- drain off excess grease.
• Stir in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup spagetti sauce and salt into ground beef.
• Spoon meat mixture over cheese layer.
• In bowl, mix Bisquick, milk and eggs until well blended.
• Pour Bisquick mixture over meat and cheese layers.
• Bake 30 - 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
• Sprinkle remaiing mozzarella over pie and bake addtional 2 - 3 minutes to melt cheese.
• Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes.
• Cut into pie pieces and serve with additional sauce if desired.