Spring Lasagna Food

SPRING LASAGNA WITH CARROTS, PEAS, AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Position oven rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 350°.
• Make the sauce: heat a large pan over medium heat, add in butter and olive oil; when butter has almost melted, add the onion; cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add in garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 15 seconds.
• Pour in the tomatoes and their juice along with the peas and carrots; stir well and bring mixture to a simmer.
• Stir in the thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; simmer just to blend the flavors and boil off a lot of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• You don't want sauce as thick as ragu-more like a loose tomato sauce but beware of a watery sauce.
• Remove pan from heat and set aside.
• Cheese filling: whisk the ricotta, eggs, and lemon zest in a big bowl; do not beat-the ricotta should not turn watery.
• Prepare asparagus: trim off any beige or woody ends; shave off the outer skin to ensure that the spears will be tender after they are baked.
• If you asparagus is not pencil thin, shave down the spears with a vegetable peeler.
• Assemble the lasagna in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan as follows: 1 cup tomato sauce spread across the bottom of the pan; 3 no-boil noodles; 1 ½ cups tomato sauce; half the cheese filling (use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly); half the asparagus spears (lay them tip to root in alternating directions); 3 more no-boil noodles; 1 ½ cups tomato sauce, the remaining cheese filling, the remaining asparagus spears, the remaining noodles, and finally the remaining tomato sauce.
• Cover pan with a layer of parchment paper, then a layer of foil.
• Bake for 35 minutes, then uncover the pan and continue baking until bubbling and gooey, about 10 minutes.
• Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

PUMPKIN LASAGNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles 1 minute longer than the package directions for al dente. The pasta should be tender enough to roll without cracking. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and whole sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until sandy in consistency and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk, pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup of the pumpkin, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is smooth and thickens to the consistency of gravy, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2/3 cup of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the sage leaves and discard; allow the sauce to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Beat the egg in a large bowl then stir in the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, the remaining pumpkin, chopped sage, crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Brush a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with the olive oil. Spread 1 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of the dish.
• Lay half of the cooked lasagna noodles on a clean work surface and spread 2 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture evenly over each. Starting with a short end, roll each noodle up and transfer to the prepared baking dish seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon the remaining sauce over the lasagna rolls and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake until the rolls are heated through and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is browned on top, 18 to 20 minutes. Garnish with the torn sage leaves, if using, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

SUNNY'S PAN-SAGNA - ONE PAN PLAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In your largest pan with straight sides and a lid, add the olive oil on medium-high heat. When the oil begins to swirl, add the bell pepper, onions, Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onions become translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir.
• Add the sausage and beef in parts around the pan. Cook while breaking up with a wooden spoon until both are cooked through and browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add enough stock to cover the contents by almost an inch. Bring the pan to a boil then add the broken lasagna sheets. Nudge and nestle them beneath the level of liquid. Cover the pot, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the lasagna noodles are al dente, 6 to 8 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta and the lemon zest. Evenly scoop the pan-sagna into shallow serving bowls. Immediately top each with some shredded cheese, a dollop of the ricotta blend, and garnish with some basil and parsley.

SPRING LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on box, until barely al dente. Drain. Toss with oil to prevent sticking. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions, leeks and garlic and sauté until soft, 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cook peas in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, 1 minute. Drain and set aside. Cook asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2-3 minutes. Drain asparagus, shock in ice water, drain again and toss with peas. 4. Mix ricotta, zest and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Make béchamel: Combine milk, onions, bay leaves, ½ teaspoon salt and white pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reduces by approximately a quarter, about 10 minutes. Strain milk and set aside. Wipe saucepan and melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, whisk in reserved milk

ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.
• In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.
• In a large skillet brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer. Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter. Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

SPRING VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH HERBED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°; coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a big pot of salted, boiling water, cook the lasagna noodles-10 minutes for dried or 2-3 minutes for fresh.
• Remove from water, rinse under cold water, drain, and set aside on paper towels to dry.
• Vegetable filling: melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat.
• Saute zucchini, asparagus, fennel, onion, carrot, and garlic until tender and just beginning to color, about 15 minutes.
• Add in mushrooms and radicchio; combine and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper; remove from heat and transfer to a platter.
• In the same skillet, heat the remaining butter and oil; add in the baby spinach, stirring to heat and wilt, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and transfer to platter.
• Risotto: Melt butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over med-high heat.
• Add in the rice, coating it with butter and oil, stirring constantly to lightly brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add in the wine and incorporate; cook until all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• Begin adding chicken stock to pan ½ cup at a time; between additions of stock, cook until it has evaporated, stirring periodically to combine.
• The rice will begin to plump up and become tender.
• Continue this process of adding stock and cooking until all the stock has been used up.
• At this time, the risotto should have almost tripled in volume and be very fluffy and tender with a creamy consistency, if not, continue to add water or stock until a creamy consistency is reached.
• Remove from heat and transfer it to a bowl; add in the parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and goat cheese; stir to combine and melt cheeses.
• Add in salt and pepper to taste; set aside to cool.
• Herbed Cream: melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over med-high heat.
• Add in flour; whisk to combine; whisk continuously, cooking flour to a golden brown color.
• Combine the wine and stock together in a bowl; add the liquid slowly to prevent lumps; be careful of the steam that will rise from the pan at the initial addition of the liquid.
• After the addition of the wine/stock mixture, add the basil, tarragon, chives, fennel tops, and orange zest; stir to combine.
• Decrease heat to medium and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.
• Add in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper; remove from the heat.
• Assemble lasagna: begin with about 1 cup of herbed cream on the bottom of the baking dish; top with three sheets of noodles, then layer with half of the spinach, then half of the vegetable mixture.
• Top the vegetables with 1 cup herbed cream, and add one third of the mozzarella cheese; repeat with three more pasta noodles.
• Add all of the risotto mixture in an even layer (if the risotto appears too dry after cooling, add about ¼ cup heavy cream or milk to it to moisten it).
• Top the risotto with another layer of three noodles.
• Layer with all the remaining spinach, remaining vegetable mixture, about 1 cup herbed cream, and one third of fresh mozzarella.
• Top with the last three noodles, then add the remaining herbed cream, finishing with the remaining mozzarella.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the top is bubbling and golden brown (you will probably need to pour yourself a drink at this point. to celebrate the conclusion of this labor-intensive dish).
• Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

INSTANT POT LASGANA WITH A SPRINGFORM PAN

Steps:

• Push SAUTE button on the Instant Pot. Once it is hot (it will only take a few minutes), cook and stir Italian sausage until brown. (You could also do this step on the stove top, but it's just as easy to do it in the Instant Pot)
• Add onions and mushrooms; saute until onions are clear.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce, and heat through. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside. Rinse out your pot.
• In a medium size bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and eggs.
• Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of a round 7-Inch Springform pan.
• Layer with 1/2 of the uncooked lasagna noodles, breaking the noodles so they cover all the sauce. Then add 1/2 of cheese mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 of the meat sauce. Continue layering until all ingredients are used or until your springform pan is filled to the top.
• Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water on top of the trivet. Gently place your foil wrapped lasagna on top of the trivet.
• Push the PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL and set the timer for 24 minutes.
• When it is done, let it release on its own for a few minutes then turn the knob to VENTING to release all of the pressure.
• When the pressure is out, remove the lid and take out the lasagna.
• Add 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and broil in the oven for 2 minutes until the cheese it bubbly on top.
• Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

BROKEN LASAGNA WITH PARMESAN AND ALL THE PEAS

Steps:

• Break each noodle into 3 or 4 rough squares and add to a large pot of boiling generously salted water. (It's okay if a few smaller pieces break off in the process; add them to the pot too, along with any stray shards at the bottom of the box.) Cook, stirring occasionally and adding snow peas and shelled peas for the final 2 minutes, until al dente, 8-12 minutes. Drain pasta and peas, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, Parmesan, butter, and 1½ tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Add pasta, peas and 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid and toss, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed if mixture looks dry, until Parmesan and butter are melted and noodles are well coated. Add sugar snap peas; toss again just to combine.
• Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with shaved Parmesan and cracked pepper.