Lasagna Made With Slow Simmered Meat Sauce Food

LASAGNA MADE WITH SLOW-SIMMERED MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. FOR SAUCE: 1. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil until hot; add the chopped onions and chopped bell pepper and cook until softened, about 8 minutes or so. 2. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook and stir for about 1 minute more. 3. Crumble the Italian sausage and ground pork over the onion mixture; chop and cook until the meat is no longer pink and is in small pieces. 4. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, dried basil, dried oregano and season with salt and pepper. Stir to thoroughly combine, taste and add more salt and/or pepper, as needed. Add the white wine and stir once more. 5. Bring the sauce to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered (lid propped with small opening) for about 5 hours. Check the sauce and stir occasionally. NOTE: The sauce is fairly thick and will shoot up hot "bubbles" after stirring; use care. (I remove it from the heat when stirring.) TO ASSEMBLE LASAGNA: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles per package instruction; drain and rinse with cold water and lay aside. 2. Place the cottage cheese in a medium bowl; add the beaten egg and fresh or dried parley and stir to combine. 3. Using a 9 x 13 inch pan, spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom. Lay 4 noodles (mine overlapped slightly) across long side of pan and 1 across the short side of pan at the bottom of other noodles (I cut about a two-inch piece off this noodle). 4. Cover noodles with a layer of meat sauce, spreading gently to cover; next "dollop" 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, spreading to cover meat sauce. Add a layer of mozzarella (about 1 1/2 cups), then sprinkle liberally with parmesan cheese. 5. Repeat the layer as above 1 more time, then finish with the rest of noodles, meat sauce, mozarella and parmesan. NOTE: I used almost all the meat sauce made, having only about 1 cup left. 6. Cover the pan with foil and cook in preheated oven for about 30 minutes. TIP: Spray the foil with cooking spray and it won't stick to the cheese. 7. Remove the foil and cook an additional 30 minutes, or until the cheese is just beginning to brown. Let cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into servings.

LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Meat Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add beef, sausage, onion, carrots, celery, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat into bite-size pieces, until vegetables soften and meat has browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red-pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Puree tomatoes in a blender or food processor; add to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened slightly but still very loose, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, eggs, 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 1/2 cups mozzarella, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Assembly: Spread 2 cups meat sauce evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably ceramic or enameled cast iron. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce (space noodles evenly; they will expand as the lasagna cooks). Spread 2 cups cheese mixture over noodles; top with 3 more noodles. Repeat layering of meat and cheese mixtures between noodles twice more. Spread 2 cups meat sauce evenly over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Loosely cover with parchment-lined foil and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until noodles are tender but still al dente (easily pierced with the tip of a knife), 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until bubbly and puffed slightly along edges and golden brown in places on top, 20 to 25 minutes more. (There may appear to be a lot of liquid in the dish. It will be absorbed as the lasagna cools.) Transfer dish to a wire rack and let cool slightly and set, about 20 minutes; cut into squares to serve.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

HOMEMADE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside.
• Place pork and beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Stir in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, parsley, garlic, oregano, onion, sugar, basil and salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish, place 2 layers of noodles on the bottom of dish; layer 1/2 of the cheese mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 of the sauce; repeat layers.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes; let stand for 10 minutes before cutting; serve.