Old World Italian Lasagna Food

OLD WORLD LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Prepare sauce, allowing 4 ½ hours for cooking. Add the onion and garlic to hot oil in a large, deep skillet and cook until onion is soft. Add the ground meat, separate it into small pieces, and cook until lightly browned. In a large saucepan, combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Add the spices, and browned meat mixture. Cook, uncovered, over a low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• 2. After sauce is prepared, start the actual Lasagna. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add ground beef and cook until browned, separating into small pieces. Spread ½ cup of sauce in a 2 quart baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles and ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spread 1/3 of the ground beef and half the egg slices on top. Sprinkle on half the Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Top with ¼ cup of ricotta. Beginning with the sauce, repeat the layering, ending with the ricotta. Top ricotta with ½ cup sauce. Top with ricotta and with ½ cup sauce. Arrange over this, the remaining noodles. Top with more sauce.
• 3. Bake at 375 about 30 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to set the layers. Cut in squares and serve topped with the remaining sauce.

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.

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.

OLD WORLD ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook the meat until brown, crushing it as you turn it over. Drain.
• While the meat is cooking, get a large pot and fill with water.
• Cook lasagna noodles 4 at a time for 10 minutes. After 10 min, remove each noodle and place on wax paper, making layers of 4 each.
• Put meat in large bowl, add half of tomato sauce. Crush garlic in a press, and add it to mixture. Add Italian seasoning.
• Beat the egg in another large bowl, then add the entire container of ricotta. Add about 2 handfuls of Parmesan cheese, or until the mixture has texture. Stir well.
• In a lasagna pan, put a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Add 4 lasagna noodles on top of that. Put another layer of sauce on top of them.
• Add a layer meat/tomato sauce mixture on top of the noodles.
• Add a layer of cheese/egg mixture on top of the meat.
• Add 4 more lasagna noodles on top, following with a layer of sauce.
• Repeat steps 7-9 until you have 3 layers of noodles.
• Add a layer of sauce on the top layer of noodles. Sprinkle mozzarella to cover.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min., covered.
• If you would like to bake the next day, cover and put in refrigerator. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Place ricotta, mascarpone, 2 eggs and nutmeg in a bowl and beat on low until creamy. Refrigerate.
• Add tomatoes, basil, salt ,1/2 cup olive oil and red wine to pot and bring to boil. Reduce and simmer 1 hours Crush the tomatoes while cooking.
• Bring to boil pot of water and cook lasagna noodles according to directions. Rinse in cold water and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Brown ground beef and drain.
• Add cooked beef to sauce and mix.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place a layer of noodles on bottom of 9x12-inch baking pan.
• Cover with just enough sauce to cover noodles.
• Add another layer of noodles crosswise (opposite pattern from first layer).
• Add sauce again to cover.
• Add another layer of noodles crosswise (opposite pattern from second layer).
• Add cheese mixture from frig.
• Add another layer of noodles crosswise (opposite pattern from third layer)You will have leftover noodles as 1 lb is not enough and 2 lb is to much.
• Add remainder of sauce.
• Grate mozzarella and spread over top.
• Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle some salt on top.
• Place toothpicks strategically to prevent foil from sticking to cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Uncover and bake additional 20 minutes (note monitor this step as to not burn the cheese, all ovens are different).
• Take out of oven and let rest 30 minutes to set up (this is a must otherwise it will be a mess when you serve).
• Serve with a caeser salad and lots of garlic bread.
• Enjoy!

BEST ITALIAN LASAGNA EVER!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Boil noodles and drain (you may also use uncooked noodles).
• Sauté garlic, sugar and salt.
• Add sausage and ground beef and brown, breaking into small crumbles.
• Add basil, pepper, tomatoes and paste; simmer 20-30 minutes until sauce thickens.
• Mix together in bowl, ricotta, egg and parsley (add milk if it's too thick).
• Layer sauce to cover bottom of pan, noodles 1/2 of ricotta mixture, 1/4 c of parmesan, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, sauce and parmesan.
• Bake covered for 25 minutes.
• Uncover and bake another 25 minutes.
• Let cool about 10-15 minutes then cut and serve.
• Leftovers may be frozen and then heated in the oven until hot and melty.
• Goes great with crusty garlic toast and a salad.

GRANDMA'S ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In large skillet combine tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato sauce, 1 t. salt, pepper, oregano, and onion salt. Simmer, uncovered.
• Meanwhile, in second skillet sauté onion and garlic in oil until lightly brown.
• Then add ground beef and rest of salt. Cook until meat loses its red color. Drain.
• Add meat mixture to tomato mixture and simmer, uncovered, at least 2 hours or until thickened.
• Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Place several spoonfuls of sauce in bottom of 12"x8"x2" baking dish, enough to cover bottom of dish.
• Top with crisscross layers of lasagna noodles, then alternate the cheeses using half of each of the ricotta or cottage cheese. Repeat layers having same amount of ingredients. End with the remaining 3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top.
• Bake at 350* F for 40 to 50 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 10 to 15 minutes, then cut in squares.
• The tomato sauce mixture is better if cooked a long time. This sauce may be frozen ahead of time, or can be kept in the ice box for a few days. The complete dish may be made ahead of time and frozen.