Sunday Lasagna Food

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.

VICTORIA GOTTI'S SUNDAY LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 3/4 pound of the mozzarella, 3/4 cup of the romano cheese, the eggs, milk, and the salt and pepper. Whisk the mixture by hand until it looks creamy and the ingredients are evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and sausage. Saute for 6 minutes, stirring so it doesn't stick.
• In a large suacepan, heat the sunday gravy. Stir in the sausage. Cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large pot filled with boiling water, place the noodles and the remaining 2 tbl of oil. Cook the noodles until al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water, set aside.
• Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan, place a single layer of noodles over the sauce.
• Top the noodles with another ladle of sauce.
• Drain and excess liquid from the refrigerated ricotta mixture, and spoon 1/4 of the mixture over the first layer of noodles and sauce. Repeat the process three times, layering noodles, sauce, and cheese four times (there should be 4 layers total) and end with a layer of sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella, 1/4 cup romano, and oregano and parsley flakes on top.
• Bake the lasagna for 40 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.
• Allow the lasagna to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

EASY LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, cottage cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese; set aside.
• In a large skillet, brown the beef, onion, and garlic together until the beef is done; drain excess grease.
• Add water and all but 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to beef.
• Spread reserved spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch pan.
• Layer 5 to 6 lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping or breaking to fit.
• Spread half the cheese mixture over the noodles.
• Spoon a third of the beef mixture over the cheese layer.
• Repeat layers once.
• Add one more layer of 5 to 6 noodles and spoon remaining third of beef mixture over the top.
• Cover and bake 50 minutes.
• Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the top.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the sauce, heat 1/2 cup oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or kettle over low heat. Add the onions, minced garlic and pancetta, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the onions are wilted. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Raise heat slightly, add the wine and cook until it is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pan, and add their juice. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups lukewarm water. Simmer for 1 hour.
• Combine the sirloin, cheese and eggs in a large bowl. Chop the parsley with the whole garlic until fine, then stir into the beef mixture. Season lavishly with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Shape into meatballs and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dust the meatballs lightly with flour, shaking off excess, and lay into the hot oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides (do not cook through) and transfer to the sauce.
• In a clean skillet, brown the sausages over medium-high heat. Transfer to the sauce. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, pecorino Romano, parsley and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Remove the meatballs and sausage from the sauce, and set aside to cool slightly, then chop coarsely. Spoon a thick layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spoon more sauce on top, then add a third of the meat and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat for 2 more layers, using all the meat and cheese. Top with a layer of noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.