Three Meat Lasagna Food

MARY'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Put a bowl of ice water near the stove, and set out a few towels next to the bowl to drain the pasta.
• Generously grease a 10 by 14-inch baking pan using 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, and parsley together. Rip up the basil leaves and fold them into the ricotta mixture. Season with salt and set aside.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the pieces of pork, sausage, and meatballs from the Sunday Gravy to a separate bowl. They will be coated with some of the tomato gravy. That's okay. Set the remaining gravy and bowl of meats aside.
• Generously salt the boiling water and cook the lasagne sheets, a few at a time, at a rolling boil for 1 minute. The noodles will be very firm; they will cook further in the oven. Transfer the pasta to the ice water with a long-handled flat skimmer or strainer. As soon as they are cool to the touch- less than a minute- lift them out, shaking off excess water, and lay the noodles out on towels to drain. Repeat the process until all the pasta is cooked.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cover the bottom of the baking pan with a layer of lasagne sheets, allowing the pasta to hang over all sides of the pan. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets cut to fit the bottom of the pan without an overhang.
• Cover the pasta with 1/2 of the reserved meats. Spoon over enough gravy to moisten well, about 1 cup. Sprinkle with a rounded 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano. Cover with another layer of pasta cut to fit without an overhang. Top with 1 cup gravy. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the gravy and top with half of the mozzarella and a rounded 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano. Repeat the pasta and meat layer and the pasta and ricotta mixture layer.
• Cover with a final layer of pasta (you may not have used all the lasagne sheets) cut to fit the inside of the pan without an overhang. Top with the remaining gravy and Pecorino Romano. Bring up the overhang of pasta and fold over the top of the lasagne to enclose the filling. Dot with remaining butter and loosely cover with foil.
• Bake the lasagne for 25 minutes, uncover, and continue to bake until very lightly browned and bubbling hot, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. To keep the top noodles soft without browning, bake the lasagne covered with foil for 35 minutes and uncovered for the last 5 to 10 minutes in the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the pork chops and sausages and brown on all sides. Transfer the pork chops and sausages to a plate to make room for the onions. Toss the onions into the pot with the garlic, fennel, and salt. Saute over moderate heat, stirring frequently and scraping up any bits left behind by the pork and sausages, until the onions are soft and golden.
• Put the pork chops and sausages back in the pot with any juices on the plate. Add the tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Drop in a few cheese rinds or ends if you have any. They are completely optional but give a nice flavor to the sauce. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Gently drop in the meatballs, 1 at a time, shaking the pot a bit to encourage the meatballs to nestle in with the pork and sausage and to make room for the addition of more meatballs. After all the meatballs have been added, continue to simmer, covered, for an hour longer or until the pork chops are very tender.
• To finish the gravy, transfer the pork chops to a cutting board. Remove and discard the bones, chop up the meat, and return it to the sauce. Keep warm over low heat.
• Homemade, fresh pasta is glorious and well worth the effort. Nothing compares to the silky, light, slippery noodles you can produce in your own kitchen. This is a quick recipe. The dough is mixed in a food processor and a pasta machine kneads and rolls the dough. George's whips this up easily, in 5 minutes tops.
• There are minor variations depending on the weather and the moisture in your flour (you may have to knead in an extra tablespoon or 2 of flour) but if you follow these proportions you will have excellent pasta.
• The organic eggs we buy at the farmers' market vary in size. The most reliable way to get an accurate measurement is with a portion scale. The measuring cup method will work, too (crack eggs into a small mixing bowl, whisk to combine, pour the required amount into a liquid measuring cup, and discard or save any excess for another use). In making pasta, skill is developed through repetition. Each batch will be easier than the last and with a little experience exact measurements will be less important.
• Don't fret if the final dimensions of the pasta are different from those specified in the recipe. The strips coming through the rollers of the pasta machine may be longer and/or not as wide. The ends may also narrow rather than being perfectly square. For instance, the edge going through the rollers first will be u-shaped (they can be cut later to square the noodle, if you like). Practice does make a difference in developing a feel for the process. Try to roll the dough as wide as possible--a little less than the width of the rollers, but don't be discouraged if that doesn't happen the first time. Adjust the cutting of the pasta to the strips you have--less wide sheets of lasagna noodles, for instance.
• Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. With the motor running pour the eggs through the feed tube. Stop the machine as soon as the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Run the motor again pouring the hot water through the feed tube. Pulse on and off for 10 seconds; stop the motor. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingertips. If not add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot water and run the motor again. Turn out onto a cool, smooth surface--marble is ideal. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. If it is sticky, knead in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Shape into a ball and cover the dough completely with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. If the dough is refrigerated, remove it from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
• Set up the pasta machine with the rollers at their widest opening.
• Divide the dough in 1/2. If the dough is sticky, dust it with flour. Flatten the dough half with the heel of your hand, and feed it through the rollers of pasta machine. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and feed it through the rollers again. Repeat 20 to 30 times occasionally folding widthwise to fit between the guides. This kneads and smoothes the dough further, creating silky and supple pasta.
• Now you can roll the pasta into thin sheets by feeding it through each successive setting of the pasta machine until you have passed it through the second thinnest opening (dust with just enough flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking). This process is done without folding. If the sheet of pasta becomes cumbersomely long cut it crosswise into 2 pieces to make it more manageable. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Lay the dough out on a barely floured counter or clean, dry kitchen towels. Each half of dough will yield 2 strips of pasta roughly measuring 3 feet by 4 inches.
• Try to make lasagna noodles as wide as your pasta machine allows (4 to 5-inches); cut the lengths the most appropriate size for the pan you plan to use--anywhere from 8 to 12-inches long (longer if you like, or shorter if smaller noodles are easier for you to handle. Lasagna noodles can be cut and patched together in assembly). Keep in mind the pasta will grow, or expand, when it boils, increasing its dimensions.
• After you have cut the noodles, you can cook them right away or lay them out in a single layer without touching on a lightly floured surface or on clean, dry kitchen towels until ready to cook (flour dusted or towel lined baking trays work well if you don't have counter) If you are not using the pasta the same day, allow it to dry completely, then transfer to long, shallow containers with lids. You can keep it in a cool, dry place for 1 week.

THREE CHEESE, MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Cook the lasagna according to package instructions and let cool.
• Saute the onions and garlic for about 2-3 minutes in a small amount of oil.
• Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook until done.
• Add all of the seasonings to taste (about 1-2 teaspoons of each - slightly more paprika).
• Add the Ragu Homestyle Pasta sauce and add more of each seasoning to taste.
• Put the first layer of pasta down in a baking dish, covering the bottom completely.
• Add a layer of the meat sauce, followed by a a few handfuls of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
• Repeat with one more layer and top with one final layer of pasta.
• If you have any meat sauce left, add a little bit, but just enough to cover the top layer of pasta.
• Add the provolone slices on top and then top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Top with fresh herbs and Italian Seasoning and bake for 20-25 minutes.

LASAGNA WITH MEAT

Steps:

• In a large pot, add 8 quarts of water and ¼ cup of salt and bring to boil. Add lasagna and cook until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking together.
• Strain pasta and rinse with cold water. Place noodles on parchment paper for easy assembly of the lasagna.
• While the lasagna noodles are cooking. In a large skillet on high heat add 1 pound of ground beef, ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Cook until ground beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove ground beef to a bowl to cool.
• In a large bowl combine 2 pounds of Ricotta cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, and 3/4 cup of grated Romano cheese.
• Reserve 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of grated cheese for the top of the lasagna.
• In the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan or aluminum lasagna pan add 1 cup of marinara sauce and spread evenly.
• Next, place enough lasagna noodles (about 6) on top of the marinara sauce to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Next, spoon in half of the cheese mixture and spread evenly. Then add in half of the ground beef and spread evenly. Next, you will complete this process again to complete a second layer.
• Add 1 cup of marinara sauce and spread evenly. Next, place enough lasagna noodles (about 6) on top of the marinara sauce to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Next, spoon in the remaining cheese mixture and spread evenly. Then add in the remaining ground beef and spread evenly either with a spoon or your hand.
• To finish the lasagna, place enough lasagna noodles (about 6) on top of the cheese mixture. Next, add 1 cup of marinara sauce to the top of the lasagna and spread evenly. Then, sprinkle the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of grated Romano cheese over the marinara sauce to finish off building the lasagna.
• Place lasagna into a 350 degree oven and cook for 45-60 minutes until the lasagna is heated throughout and the cheese on top has melted.

THREE MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook onion in olive oil in a large skillet until tender, several minutes.
• Add garlic, ground beef, italian sausage, basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to pan and cook until meat is thoroughly browned and breaking up lumps as it cooks.
• Drain fat.
• Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar to pan, mixing well.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water for ten minutes, then drain.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley until smooth.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a large lasagna baking pan, place 1/3-1/2 of meat sauce in bottom of pan (just enough to cover).
• On top of the meat sauce in pan, layer the lasagna as follows: 4 noodles (to cover pan), 8 ounces shredded mozzarella, 4 ounces sliced pepperoni, 4 more noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, 4 more noodles, remaining meat sauce mixture, 8 ounces mozzarella, 4 ounces of pepperoni, and 1/4 cup parmesan.
• If any corners of noodles try to stick up past the sauce in the pan, tuck them under the sauce.
• Bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is golden and bubbly.
• Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

3 MEAT 3 CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Brown the meat, and drain.
• Add both cans of sauce to the meat mixture, and heat on low, covered, making sure to stir every few minutes.
• While the sauce is heating, boil the noodles according to package directions, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• When the noodles are ready, drain them and run cold water over them so that they are not too hot to touch.
• Put a little bit of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
• Do 2 layers of: 4 noodles, meat sauce, parmesan cheese, mozza-cheddar cheese.
• Final layer is 4 noodles, meat sauce, and parmesan cheese (mozza-cheddar layer gets added later, so it won't burn).
• Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Take out of the oven and put a final layer of mozza-cheddar cheese on top; bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown, don't let it get overdone.
• Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

LOADED FOUR CHEESE AND THREE MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. On medium heat, cook beef, sausage, garlic and onion in heavy skillet, until well browned.
• 2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugars, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning,garlic salt, garlic powder, beef boullion, black pepper, basil, and 2 tbsp parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Last 15 mins add olives. Last 5 mins add spinach.
• 3. 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.
• 4. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, sour cream, cream cheese with eggs, and remaining parsley. mix well.
• 5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• 6. To assemble, spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a greased (9X13) baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Layer some ricotta cheese mixture, pepperoni, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 cup per layer). Repeat layers with all ingredients. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and remaining Mozzarella cheese.
• 7. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• 8. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.